The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 110

110.

Following Alakish out of the cave, I gazed at the majestic snowfield and the snow-capped mountains rising like its spine, feeling a dizzying thrill.

It was the moment Harbadonia, a land of extreme cold, the unknown, and eternal death, unfolded before my eyes.

To the west, a desolate coastline stretched endlessly southward, and on the ice floes, grotesquely shaped seals cried out ominously in droves.

“So this is really north of the Barrier……”

“North, north, north.”

I shivered as I looked around at all the scenery with Pipi.

The cold was so intense it felt like my skin would tear, but thanks to the mystical fire Alakish infused into me, I didn’t feel cold even in these summer clothes.

That’s why Pipi had been inside my school uniform blouse with only her head sticking out ever since we left the cave…….

「Don’t fall behind, follow me.」

As I was overwhelmed by the scenery, I heard Alakish urging me on, so I started walking again.

「It will take a full half-day’s walk. When the sun sets, the dead awaken. Hurry.」

Harbadonia also had the ancient meaning of Snowy Capital.

This also meant that it had been a snow-covered land since before the Common Era, and as the site of the final battle between the and the , it was also the origin of countless heroic legends.

Also, the ‘scary stories’ that I often heard for disciplinary purposes when I was a child were often set here.

This land was inhabited by groups of cursed beings, the Beastmen.

According to legend, Beastmen are those who lingered at the boundary between the abyss and the light and were cursed by the gods to have the bodies of beasts in human souls.

Thinking about that legend, it seems reasonable that discipline such as, ‘If you do bad things, you will be cursed and become a Beastman’ became common.

“Do you think the Beastmen will welcome us?”

I asked cautiously, and Alakish, who was striding across the ice field with Kasena in his arms, glanced back at me.

「No, they will tear you apart.」

Well, I guess it’s better to be prepared…….

I am well aware of the old grudges between the White Wolf Squad (a military unit guarding the Snow Fortress) and the Beastmen, as I was once a Northerner.

The White Wolf Squad called the Beastmen barbarians and blocked their passage south of the Barrier. I also heard that they kill each other.

「Of course, if it were just the two of you, they would have. But now that this Alakish is with you, there is no need to worry.」

Harbadonia.

The ancient land where the ‘Spider Lord, Profane Mystery’ is sealed.

It goes without saying that the area occupies one-sixth of the Akrad continent, but the worst thing was that there was not a single road in that huge area.

Endless ice shelves, icebergs, and crevasses blocked the way like a maze. Every time I moved 1 km in a straight line, it required so much effort and time that it was hard to explain.

“The concentration of the Abyss is unbelievably high.”

In addition, if I hadn’t filtered the air I breathed in with magic control, I would have been poisoned by the Abyss long ago and ended up like Kasena.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

To help its master’s difficult struggles, the Black Sheep Scale hanging around my neck repeatedly flickered, filling the main meridian with new magic power.

“How on earth do the Beastmen live in this land?”

「That is a foolish question.」

It sounded like a rebuke, but Alakish’s voice did not contain childish emotions such as blame or sarcasm. Rather, it was closer to a kind lecture.

「They received such bodies from the gods in order to live here, and if they cannot live, what meaning would there be?」

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the strange answer.

Received such bodies from the gods?

So, he must be referring to being cursed, right? But it didn’t sound like that at all?

「We have arrived.」

Just as I was about to escape from the wave of questions and ask a question, Alakish stopped on a low iceberg and gestured forward.

“Wow……”

Standing next to him, I couldn’t help but exclaim.

It was a glacial valley.

With low mountains on either side, a village of at least a hundred houses overlooked the U-shaped eroded valley.

「Rein Ludwig, engrave these words of Alakish in your heart.」

“Yes?”

「Everyone is on edge because of the times. And those who have chosen the bodies of beasts for war cannot easily control their bloodlust. Do not do or say anything that might cause misunderstanding.」

I was a little excited at the thought of seeing a new face of the world, but as soon as I heard those words, my heart stopped pounding.

And that warning could be confirmed as soon as we went down the slope to the foot of the mountain.

I didn’t hear any sound, but the chill ran down my spine at the silent approach of murderous intent.

「These children are not enemies.」

As Alakish said that, cursed creatures revealed themselves one by one from the snow in a gruesome manner.

The number was about five, and their eerie appearances varied. Some had the heads of wolves, and others had the heads of goats.

In addition to the thick fur that kept them warm, they wore roughly woven clothes made of penguin or seal skin, and the wolfman, who appeared to be the leader, bared his fangs fiercely.

“Grrrr…… What are those suspicious brats?”

Perhaps because he had the mouth of a beast, his accent was harsher than in the South of the Barrier, but it was easy to understand.

「These are the ones Alakish protects.」

“Ha! My father said that you shouldn’t take in hairless beasts.”

The wolfman sneered like that, and he possessed the heavy spirit that only seasoned warriors like Kies and Bart possessed.

“They’re just bastards who might stab you in the back at any moment.”

I cautiously glanced sideways, and when our eyes met, I was overwhelmed by animalistic fear and quickly looked away.

“Why are you protecting brats who we don’t even know how they got into this land? They might be spies of the Abyss.”

Well, I guess it would look suspicious no matter how you look at it. Two minors suddenly appeared out of nowhere north of the Barrier…….

「Are you trying to say that this Alakish can no longer distinguish between light and the Abyss?」

However, when Alakish narrowed his eyes and glared at the wolf, the logic of power worked, and the wolf clicked his tongue annoyingly and led the way.

While I was hurrying to follow Alakish, who was confidently entering through the opened path, Pipi hid her face in her blouse as the Beastman warriors glared at me with fierce eyes.

There were no proper structures in the Beastmen village that we entered.

Perhaps because there was no suitable wood or stone, most of the houses were simply tents made of woven fur.

“Wow……”

It was a series of interesting discoveries.

It was a village full of life, and young warriors were engrossed in hand-to-hand combat using their claws near the bonfire.

Also, young shepherds were herding sheep and goats with primitive features, and when they made eye contact with me, they pointed their staffs threateningly and quickly moved away sideways.

‘They’re almost no different from humans?’

I later learned that Beastmen must have strong animalistic traits like the wolfman who is guiding us now in order to become warriors.

Those who have a very slight mix of animalistic traits in human form, like the shepherds we just passed (only the ears are rabbits, or only the nose is dogs), take care of livestock and do housework like that.

“It’s a human……”

“A hairless beast……”

“It’s ominous……”

While Rein was the target of such deep-rooted hostility, Alakish was like a symbol of reverence, and every Beastman he met showed him the utmost respect.

“Dur bal aras. Welcome, Alakish. It’s been two months.”

The same was true of the owner of the most magnificent tent in this village, woven purely white with polar bear fur.

It was an old fox whose yellow fur had lost its luster and was even sparsely missing in places, and its body was human, so I felt an instinctive sense of disgust.

However, the fox’s gaze, which glanced at me, did not show any such rejection, but rather contained a benevolent smile, which made me feel embarrassed for no reason.

“And you’ve brought some rare guests with you.”

「She was hit by the Abyss. She needs a warm bed and food for stability. Can you provide it?」

“If it’s a request from Alakish, we must give you anything. Please come inside first.”

The inside of the tent was filled with the stuffy smoke emitted by the brazier.

My eyes were stinging, but it was also so warm that my body, which had been tense from the cold, relaxed and my legs almost gave way.

Moreover, the floor was thickly covered with fur to block the cold rising from the ground, so it was no exaggeration to say that it was a paradise on earth in this frigid land.

“This way.”

While Alakish was laying Kasena on a straw bed, the wolfman sat in front of the door as if blocking passage and repeatedly glared at me.

I smiled like a fool, no, like an innocent brat, and sat comfortably next to Kasena as the chief said. I was restless, though.

The wolfman narrowed his eyes nervously as if he was dissatisfied with the series of actions.

“He looks suspicious no matter how you look at him. That guy isn’t scared of us at all. It’s obvious that even those damn fake wolves are scared of us when they see us for the first time.”

Maybe the fake wolves are referring to the White Wolf Squad in slang…….

Of course, it’s not like I’m not scared, but I have some resistance because of the dead I’ve met constantly on my journey 300 years ago.

The dead led by the Lizard Lord have a mixture of lizards and humans.

“Stop it, Barzhen. If Alakish brought him, shouldn’t we welcome even the pack leader? Have you forgotten the grace Alakish gave us?”

“That’s not it, but…… Tsk, I definitely warned you. Don’t fall and cry after being deceived.”

Still, whether it was because of Alakish’s popularity or the chief’s authority, the wolfman named Barzhen eventually backed down.

In the meantime, the chief’s daughter filled an earthenware bowl with soup heated in the brazier and handed it to me. No, this is…….

Tense saliva naturally went down my throat. It wouldn’t be comparable to Alakish’s dragon food, but this is also a formidable enemy…….

It was something reddish with disgustingly floating unknown ingredients, and it was impossible to describe it in human language.

If Kasena eats this, she will die from poisoning, 100%.

“Um, if you don’t mind, can I ask what this is?”

“It’s a soup made with seal brains and its intestines torn apart and put in as ingredients. It has a very excellent effect on tonic.”

Can’t you just make a normal meat soup? Is it always because of the poor living environment in the Arctic? No, wait.

I would have just closed my eyes and ate it for the sake of a friendly relationship, but the fear of death that the dragon food I ate this morning engraved in my soul made it impossible for me to open my mouth.

“Um, this Kasena girl here has a separate food that she needs to eat because she is weak, so if you have the ingredients, can I try to cook it?”

Bringing up Kasena was an excuse, but it worked surprisingly well. The wolfman nodded.

“I have to admit that hairless things are weak. Even if they eat something wrong, their internal organs are damaged and they die. How can they become warriors to fight the Abyss when they are so weak?”

The chief also surprisingly easily agreed and told me that I could freely use the brazier and the ingredients next to it.

Thank goodness…….

Well, I’m not good at cooking, but I’ve learned everything from the basics to the advanced level of camping cooking from Kies, who had thick bones as a hunter.

If I were to describe that skill in one line, even Friede, who only ate luxurious food as a priestess, would have acknowledged it.

“……So that’s what happened.”

In the meantime, the chief, who had heard our story from Alakish, nodded with a look of understanding.

“In fact, we could see the black spot of the Abyss that appeared south of the Barrier even from here…… Everyone could tell that the situation was unusual.”

「Hmm, I can say for sure now. The Abyss is awakening. Across the entire continent.」

Then Barzhen laughed mockingly.

“Isn’t it good? They betrayed us, saying they could live well on their own, but by now, half of the continent might be devastated. All the hairless guys are just weaklings.”

Rein, who was eavesdropping on the conversation and preparing the bear meat in the kitchen, couldn’t help but tilt his head.

“Betrayal…… Did humans betray the Beastmen?”

“Are you asking something obvious?”

“I’m not trying to insult you, but I know the opposite. In fact, it’s written that way in all the books.”

I could feel the atmosphere in the tent chilling for a moment.

Ah, was that a slip of the tongue…… I immediately shut my mouth, but the chief let out a sigh and finished my sentence instead.

“Beastmen hesitated between light and the Abyss, received the curse of the gods, and were kicked out of the Barrier…… Is that what you mean?”

When I nodded cautiously, Barzhen let out a laugh with no smile at all and shouted while staring straight at me.

“Engrave it clearly in those hairless ears, you damn brat. The reason our bodies are like this is not because of a curse. It’s thanks to a blessing!”

The emotion contained in that cry against the truth that is widely spread throughout the world was neither regret, anger, nor hatred.

Just the highest pride.

It wasn’t the attitude of covering up the truth with the sweet trickery of con artists, but he was just as confident as if he were stating an obvious fact.

“The Holy Elmine Knights, who were called the blades of the gods, the elite assault team of a thousand men who served Enuel, the strongest of the five heroes! We are the descendants of those people!”

Enuel…… That Enuel?

When I glanced at Alakish with surprised eyes, Alakish closed his eyes as if to say that those words were true.

– They received such bodies from the gods in order to live here, and if they cannot live, what meaning would there be?

What, then what happened? What is the information I have known so far?

In the midst of the confusion that cracked the world of common sense that had been built up so far, the emotion that flashed through my mind for a moment was a desire for true knowledge.

While holding my breath, I bowed politely to the chief and Barzhen.

“Then everything I knew was false.”

“……?”

“Please forgive me for making a mistake because of my lack of knowledge. And if you don’t mind, can you teach me the truth?”

The boy’s reaction greatly embarrassed Barzhen and the chief, while also making a special impression on Alakish.

Most, or rather all, humans laughed and told him not to talk nonsense or pointed a knife at him the moment they heard these words…….

That’s why war is about to begin at the end of this lonely battle where each other doesn’t understand each other…….

“W, what is this guy trying to do? Cut it out! I’m not falling for it!”

That’s why Barzhen had no choice but to suspect so without organizing his confused mind, but the chief raised his hand.

“Barzhen, it wouldn’t hurt to tell him in detail, would it?”

“But Chief!”

“I’m also embarrassed because this is the first time for me, but isn’t it not a bad experience?”

Barzhen shut his mouth because he was hit right on the mark.

Why wouldn’t he? It’s really the first time in his life that a human has listened to their words, or even pretended to listen…….

When Barzhen lost his voice, the chief quietly turned to Rein and smiled.

“If you want, I’ll tell you our story. Listen comfortably while you cook.”