Desert trip (1)
Seaton Desert.
It is the collective name for a huge desert area located in the southern part of the Empire.
It was a place where the stinging heat during the day and the blistering cold at night drove people crazy.
Still, this place is also a place where people live, so it wasn’t unbearable if you got used to it.
The problem would be travelers like us crossing the desert.
“It’s really insanely hot.”
Douglas, who was riding in the wagon, muttered that and fluttered his clothes to create a breeze.
I turned around and spoke to him.
“It was said that you don’t have to follow me, so you followed me out of necessity… … .”
I had no intention of bringing Douglas here in the first place.
When he told me that he was going on a trip to the Seaton Desert with Rize, he thought about it for a few days and insisted on following.
I didn’t have the confidence to stop Douglas’ insistence, and Rize agreed, so there was no particular reason for my refusal.
He had warned several times that he was going to the desert, but sure enough, he ended up complaining like that.
Just not walking in the scorching sun should be considered fortunate.
Now we were speeding through the desert in a covered wagon.
Of course, it was not a horse pulling the wagon, but a huge lizard.
A species called a desert drake could be tamed like a wyvern, so it was an animal used instead of a horse to cross the desert.
“No matter where you go, it’s just sand.”
Rize stared outside while sticking to the wall of the carriage, her eyes twinkling as if she wasn’t bored.
When I first saw the desert, Irina and Douglas had similar eyes, but now they were completely dead.
The landscape of the desert, which is made up of only sand, was strange at first, but as the trip continued, it only became monotonous and boring.
No matter how much Rize did, I wondered if that would happen in the end, but fortunately, it seemed to be enjoyable in its own way.
Rize, like the rest of the party, was wearing clothes that wrapped around her body, and it was a measure to block the heat of the dry desert.
Besides, shouldn’t Rize’s pure white skin be burned by the intense heat?
I brought it, but I couldn’t help but worry about this and that when I saw it.
It was fortunate that Rize was very excited, perhaps because it was a place she hadn’t been to before.
“Dad, by any chance what path are you following?”
“No, there are no roads in the desert. When the wind blows, all the footprints that have passed disappear. Would you like to take a look later?”
“and… … . really gone Then, what is Dad looking at and moving? Do you have anything pointing to the destination?”
“You judge the direction by looking at the sun, and you roughly estimate your current position by looking at the large landmarks around you. Do you see a very large sand dune over there?”
Rize, who was playing the role of a coachman, might be bored.
It would have been boring for me to go without saying anything, so I was very grateful.
After a little more time passed, Irina, who had finished adjusting, also started to say this and that, and the trip turned out to be a little more noisy than I thought.
Douglas was the only one who stayed still with his mouth shut, but fanned again with his collar as if he was weak against the heat.
“Master, is it very hot?”
“Aren’t you hot?”
“It is hot, but bearable. But if Master is really hot, I can help.”
“you?”
At Douglas’ question, Rize smiled as if to leave it to her, then quickly chanted with both palms facing up.
Then, very fine droplets of water came out of my palms, which quickly turned into steam in the heat of the desert.
At the same time, the inside of the carriage cooled for a moment, and after a few more repetitions, Douglas stopped fanning.
“Is this magic?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking of refreshing myself with cold water… … Somehow, it seems to have worked out better, hee hee.”
“Kuhm, yes. Thank you.”
Douglas coughed shyly and thanked him.
As I watched that scene, I noticed that Rize’s magic skills were also improving day by day.
It was because Rise’s sophisticated mana management could be seen in spreading small water droplets all over the place without being excessive.
At that level, I wondered if I belonged to a group with considerable skills among my peers.
Really, in this year’s contest, I don’t know if it’s possible to compete not only in swordsmanship but also in magic.
While thinking about that, the desert drake suddenly showed signs of abnormality.
“Kreung… … !”
Snorting and trying to deviate from the path, I quickly grabbed the reins and watched the desert drake avoid.
There was a slightly sunken pit in the sand, and as I concentrated a little more, I felt signs of wriggling inside.
I stopped the wagon a short distance away, jumped down and said to Rize.
“Wait a minute.”
“Yes, Dad.”
When I said that I would go with you, Rize stayed calm, and I moved towards the sand pit.
As soon as I took a step inside, the sand suddenly began to be sucked toward the center.
I tossed down the lump of metal I had taken out of my bag beforehand, and was swept away by the sand at high speed toward the center.
Right after that, a mouth with sharp teeth in all directions appeared from the center and gnawed at the metal lump.
“Kheuk! hehehe!”
No matter how hard your teeth are, you won’t be able to chew them.
It was because he had chosen an unnecessarily heavy and hard thing among the ones he had and threw it away.
It was a large fish the size of a man with a broad body that spewed out chunks of metal.
No, should I say desert meat?
As soon as it appeared, I kicked off the sand and jumped in, piercing the heart with my sword.
“Kahaaagh!”
His body, which made a rough sound and splashed sand in all directions, limp after a while, and I pierced the body and dragged it over the pit and put it on the floor.
Douglas, who had come down from the carriage before he knew it, looked at it and said with a frown.
“It looks strange.”
From noble mtl dot com
“It’s called sandmaw. As you can see, it hides in the sand and attacks its prey. It was fortunate that Drake was quick to notice.”
Saying that, I changed Aculium from a long sword to a dagger, and stabbed it in the stomach.
Even though it looked like a monster, it was definitely one of the native desert creatures.
This meant that it could be taken without special treatment.
“Are you going to take some meat?”
“No, the meat is filthy. All I take is my gallbladder.”
Douglas, who was looking at me curiously as I separated them with quick hand movements, looked at my face with a worried expression, and I laughed as I wrapped the removed gallbladder in a cloth.
“It tastes so good when you soak it in alcohol after drying it. Thanks to that, it is also sold at a high price.”
“Hoo… … . Are you thinking of selling it to me?”
“If I see another one on the way, I’ll give it as a gift.”
“Don’t fall asleep, I’ll take a good look.”
After talking in a quiet voice, when I returned to the carriage, Rize was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
You should have seen that I cut something off of Sandmaw.
“Is it meat? Can I eat too?”
After smiling at Rize who asked such a question, he answered while climbing back into the driver’s seat.
“It’s still a long way from Rize.”
* * *
Of course, people also live in the desert.
In particular, villages were formed in such oases where there was stagnant water and intermittent rain.
When Rize arrived at Batra, one of the desert cities, she exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, these houses are so amazing. It feels like you’ve come to a different country.”
Even within the empire, the architectural style is slightly different, but it is not so extreme.
Like Rize’s impression, this place seemed to be in another country.
The empire’s territory was so vast that it might feel that way.
In particular, almost all of the residents were wearing costumes that covered most of their bodies, and the tanned skin gave it a more exotic feel.
I thought it was fortunate that the language and writing communicated.
When I went inside Batra, a strange smell that I couldn’t smell in any other city stung my nose.
Similarly, Rize, who was sniffing, pointed to a place and said.
“Dad, it smells so good over there.”
“Let’s get a lodging and then go there.”
Even in the middle of it, finding something to eat was very Rize-like.
I can’t say that the accommodation is good even with empty words, but it was much better than sleeping on the sandy beach.
In addition, I couldn’t let the cold wind blow Rize, so I thoroughly planned my trip so that I could sleep under the roof like this.
After leaving the desert drake, we enjoyed sightseeing for a while.
Since the oasis was quite large, the village was also formed on a large scale, and the appearance of merchants crossing the desert was also not boring.
Rize munched with a happy expression on her cheeks with the lamb skewers she bought at the market.
I too was eating the same thing.
It was quite fresh as I had never tasted it before. It was an unusual seasoning, but it doesn’t seem difficult to implement… … There aren’t many that fit.
While thinking about how to use it for future cooking, I stopped when I noticed a well-known pattern engraved on the wall.
“Irina, I’ll be back for a while. In the meantime, please Rize.”
“all right.”
Rize made a curious expression, but she smiled and waved without asking, and I waved lightly with eyes saying that I would be back soon and headed towards the alley.
Enter through two buildings, follow the signs, turn right, and enter the simple building you see. A man greets you lightly.
“I was waiting.”
“You must have heard the contents from the guild leader, so let’s keep things simple. Is there anything wrong with Grand Duchy Klamath?”
“Yes, it is peaceful as usual. There is a little drought, but it happens every year, so it’s okay.”
“okay. Thank you for your effort.”
I left after giving some coins to the Golden Bird Guild informant.
What I asked Galera for was the situation in the South. Especially for the region ruled by Grand Duke Klamath.
There are so many variables in this life, so I wanted to check.
The southern region was a place where no matter what I did upstairs, it had little effect, so I was a little at ease, but as I went through the work of the Dark Truth Church this time, I became a little more alert.
That’s why I came down a little earlier than expected and came to get something that can only be found here.
The thing to be most careful about in the southern region was the change of the Grand Duchy of Klamath.
The drought that started in the following year lasted for a long time, so I asked for help from the empire, but this side was also rejected, saying that I couldn’t afford it.
In the end, Grand Duke Klamath led the military and protested, and came to the brink of clashing with the army led by other lords.
Since then, whether or not a war will really break out has changed for so many different reasons that even I am not sure.
Right now, I don’t think it will happen because I’ve shrunk a lot of the Dark Truth Church guys.
Anyway, I came before the inside of the Seaton Desert became a mess, but fortunately there seemed to be no sign of anything else.
When she found her group again and rejoined them, Rize was drinking a fruit drink near the oasis.
“Oh, Dad! Drink this quickly!”
“Ok, thanks.”
As soon as I took a sip, the sweet and sour taste spread in my mouth.
When I handed it back, Rize smiled and gulped down, staring at the oasis unfolding in front of her eyes, perhaps wondering if it was strange.
Douglas, who was also drinking, took his eyes off Oasis and looked at me.
“So, have you decided where you are going?”
“Yes, I just finished checking.”
Since we didn’t know what the local situation would be like, it was called the Seaton Desert trip, but the actual destination was fixed.
Of course, I would go sightseeing, but since I’ve come this far, shouldn’t I bring something great?
Douglas had been waiting for me because he knew my circumstances.
I nodded, looked at Douglas, and added.
“Have you ever been to a desert ruin?”
“I’ve been to the places in the Grand Duchy of Klamath… … No, I’m not talking about a place like that.”
I shrugged at Douglas, who realized what I was trying to say, and added a word.
“The destination of this trip is the undiscovered desert ruins.”