3 bar menu

134. In the Leon Enagoris Mountains

 

How many peaks make up the majestic Leon Enagoris mountain range? Even among scholars, opinions differ. Some say fifty. Others claim a hundred. Still others argue for a thousand peaks if you count every rise, large or small. A bold few even insist the entire range is a single mountain and should be counted as one.

There’s still no definitive answer. However, the Harpies—a minority beastkin race that nests in the valleys—sing this:

‘The peaks are the faces of the gods.
The valleys are the wombs of spirits.
The snow their sacred garb.
The gods who tower number seventy-six.’

The parpies possess large wings and small, lightweight bodies. Since these songs are sung by the females—males, it’s said, only dance—the general consensus is that the mountains number seventy-six, according to their bird’s-eye view.

Even when humans once waged war against beastkin, they failed to capture the airborne Harpies. Just meeting them requires braving deadly cliffs and rapids, so the information humans brought back was considered credible, even overcoming prejudice.

Besides, there’s probably no ‘correct’ number of mountains. And even if there were, it wouldn’t matter much. When it comes to mountains, rarity and narrative value outweigh precision.

I explained all this as I stood with Shizuku, gazing up at the mountains.

「There’s just one problem, though.」

「Problem?」

「The Harpies are, well, bird-brained, and on top of that, they’ve got raspy voices. Their songs are hard to understand and often lose lyrics. Every time a human hears it, the number of gods drops. Apparently, it used to be ninety deities, but now it’s down to seventy-six.」

「If this keeps up, they’ll be down to one and the whole mountain range will be counted as just one peak…」

「The Harpies are aware of their bird-brains, it seems. So from time to time, they pad the count back up. They make sure it never drops too low.」

「I feel like that’s… the wrong solution, but maybe that’s just me.」

We were further west than Kinui now, at the trailhead leading into the Leon Enagoris range. Above us, silver peaks stretched against a blue sky—a harsh and beautiful realm of death.

「Still, Marge, you sure know a lot about mountains.」

「I’m just parroting what someone once taught me. Didn’t I mention it before?」

「I remember you said someone taught you to pick skills based on synergy. Same person?」

「Yeah. I’d call him my mentor. Back when I first awakened my Unique Skill, I had a brief chance to study under him. It wasn’t for long.」

He was an old man, already weakened by illness. He had trouble breathing due to a lung condition, and our connection began when I lent him the skill [Forest’s Cool Breath]—normally used in high-altitude or low-oxygen areas—to help him breathe.

As thanks, he taught me many things.

「So you received your knowledge from him.」

「More like… I learned how to learn. He taught me how to think, how to approach knowledge, how to grow through it.」

「That whole ‘pick based on synergy’ thing fits perfectly. What was his name?」

「Don’t know. He gave me a name when I needed one to lend the skill, but I’m pretty sure it was fake.」

My [Skill Lender] requires a name to designate the recipient. But that experience taught me a name doesn’t have to be real—just uniquely identifying.

After teaching me for a while, the man simply vanished.

The skill I lent him would weaken if he strayed too far, so he must’ve spent time nurturing it—raising his Skill Points enough to survive on his own before he left.

「After all, he couldn’t breathe without the skill. Just staying alive must’ve earned him a lot of points. As long as he didn’t stray too far, it wouldn’t deactivate. Still… Koe-san, what happened to the [Forest’s Cool Breath] I lent him?」

「It hasn’t returned, at least not yet.」

「I see…」

If a debtor dies, my [Skill Lender] cannot retrieve the skill. If a skill is returned, I know the person’s alive. But in his case, the skill kept him alive—so if it ever were returned, it would likely mean his death.

「If it hasn’t come back, that means he must still be alive. I’ll take that as a hopeful sign.」

I’d intended just to share a little mountain lore with Shizuku as she came to see us off, but ended up rambling. Refocusing, I turned my attention back to the path ahead.

「Time to get going. Shizuku, I’m leaving things in your hands.」

「Of course. Take care, okay? Koe-san, too. Angelina, Bellman—please look after the both of them.」

「If something happens to Skill Lender-san, that probably means Gelli’s already dead, but Gelli will do her best.」

「Now that Angelina-dono can command forty-nine master alchemists as golems, I shudder to think what would happen to the rest of us.」

「If bones are left, I’ll bring them back.」

「Haha… I wish that were less realistic.」

In the Vita-Tama affair, I’d brought Shizuku to negotiate with the dwarves. But this time, the main threats are likely to be humans or elves.

Bringing a beastkin to talk with humans would draw too much attention. And from what Asagi said, the elves wouldn’t be particularly friendly even to other non-humans like werewolves.

More importantly, with the threat of invasion from the neighboring nation of Narshe, we must leave defenders in the village and Kinui.

Taking all that into account, this journey would be made by me, Koe-san, Angelina for her expertise in medicines, and Bellman’s team for their mountain skills—for a total of six.

Shizuku, left behind to guard the village, stood tall.

「Endemic skills are meant to protect our land in the first place. I’ll fulfill this duty without fail.」

「The knights might make some unexpected moves. Be vigilant.」

Once we parted ways and entered the mountains, I felt it keenly.

The overwhelming force of nature. At lower elevations, colorful flowers still bloomed peacefully—but above us, the peaks were hidden by blizzards, despite it not being winter. You could see why the Harpies called them gods.

Even Bellman, leading the way, drew a sharp breath at the sight.

「By the way, Marge-dono, don’t you have [Space Jump]? Couldn’t we just hop over the range in one go?」

「Not realistically. [Space Jump] requires scanning the destination first. These mountains, with their size and wild blizzards, are packed with too much data. It’s impossible to process it all and jump safely.」

「And if you did try anyway?」

「Then I’d probably end up stuck in some eternal snowbank, unable to move, and a few thousand years later someone would dig me out as a glacier mummy.」

「That’s… possible?」

「There’s a non-zero chance. That’s why we’re crossing on foot. But it’s not like the skill is useless—short hops over cliffs or ridges are very effective. By stringing them together, we’ll get through far faster than normal.」

「In that case, this right here looks like the perfect place for it.」

Bellman pointed ahead—to a gorge so deep and dark it looked like it might lead straight to hell.