Chapter 82

"Tokochan, you're there too!"

In response to Moe, who pointed energetically from his shoulder, Tōru turned his head slightly wearily to look behind him. Sora, who was nearly out of magic, stared back with a dull gaze. Yuriri, despite the sandstorm, still maintained her beauty, but her bangs stuck to her forehead due to sweat.

"Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I'm still okay."

"Shall I do it?"

"Yes... I think so. Phew... It might be a good idea to collect the meat soon too."

The three of them nodded to each other, put down their belongings, and began the battle.

"Fog, seal—<Freezing Crystal>"

Just as the incantation ended, Tōru, sword in hand, glided smoothly across the sand. The moment he stepped on what seemed to be empty ground, a white giant emerged from below, sending sand flying.

—<Reversal>.

The large lizard's neck arched back, leaving it vulnerable to the iron blade that struck it repeatedly. Tōru immediately kicked the soft sand skillfully and retreated. A moment later, a cold, freezing wind swept across the sand. As the rock lizard inhaled the freezing air, it turned and disappeared into the sand.

With the sand completely devoid of any presence, Tōru glanced diagonally behind him. Yuriri, shaking her head quietly, raised her staff.

—<Ice Bed>.

This time, without reciting a prayer, the magic technique activated silently, and the surrounding sand froze instantly.

Tōru boldly stepped onto the ice. The rock lizard, hidden somewhere in the sand, launched another ambush. The white head burst through the thin layer of ice, breaking through it with force.

Reacting to the sound, Tōru moved a step faster. He deftly dodged the monster's head, and his iron sword struck the long, extended neck. The red blood splattered, but just before it could touch Tōru, it was deflected by a purple current of electricity.

The rock lizard, emitting a shrill cry, writhed its white body and dove back into the sand. However, its third attack was noticeably slower. The freezing air it had inhaled was finally taking effect.

Tōru's sword, moving with ease, deepened the wound on the neck. The monster, emitting another growl, fled. Finally, on the fifth repetition, they managed to sever its head.

"Huff, huff... Alright, let's dismember and carry it."

"Tokochan, are you tired? Okay, Moe will heal you!"

The child, extending his small hands, began to massage Tōru's shoulders and back as he crouched to start the dissection. Eventually, he got bored and started rubbing his cheek against Tōru's back. Feeling the pleasant weight on his back, Tōru slightly lifted the corners of his lips and plunged the dissection knife into the lizard's corpse.

"Let's start with the neck. See, this skin peels off easily."

"Peel, peel, peel. Hehehe."

As Moe said, the skin peeled off cleanly when cut and pulled. This fine, flexible, and stretchable part was the only one suitable for processing. The other outer skins were too hard and rough to wear, and even for covering, there were better options.

"Next, let's flip it over. Sora, hold this side."

"Sure, leave it to me."

"Moe will help too!"

Sora, with a somewhat forced cheerfulness, held the right front leg, Tōru the right hind leg, and Moe the tail. They worked together to flip the lizard. The belly side had thinner skin, making it easier for the blade to cut through.

The sun was slowly setting in the west. They were supposed to have only an hour's journey left, but they were already about thirty minutes behind schedule. They abandoned the troublesome task of processing the internal organs and started cutting off the base of the tail.

"Tokochan, this one has strange feet."

"Hmm, that's interesting."

The rock lizard's feet had large membranes between the toes and elastic, fine ridges that served as suction cups. The tail was already large enough, but they decided to cut off one of the hind legs as well.

Tōru, with the lizard parts tied to his body, faced forward while checking on his companions. A few dozen steps ahead, a large, flat protrusion was visible through the sandstorm, which had calmed down somewhat. This was their final destination for the day.

"Alright, just a little more. Moe, do the final check. We'll avoid them from here on."

"Got it!"

Initially, things went smoothly, but the wilderness was not so forgiving. The first five rock lizards were easily dispatched with Sora's <Fixation> and Tōru's sharp sword. However, the problem was that only about thirty minutes had passed.

When Sora's <Fixation> ran out of uses, she switched to <Reversal>. However, the lizard's flexible neck seemed to absorb the impact, making it difficult to deal damage. Tōru, considering the remaining uses of <Restoration>, had to use a normal sword. Yuriri joined the battle, but in this arid land, the effect of her water-based magic was limited. The accumulated sand was already deep enough to sink into up to the ankles.

Ultimately, the battle time dragged on, and by the time they defeated the twelfth lizard, an hour had passed, and they were exhausted. They stopped taking the neck skin and only cut off the tip of the tail. Considering the effort required to hunt and carry the prey compared to the buyback price, this made sense.

Acknowledging the large number of rock lizards hiding in the sand, Tōru and his companions reluctantly avoided them and aimed for their destination. They finally reached the safe zone.

"Wow, this is amazing, Tōru-chan."

"The rock is still intact. Here, please, Yuriri-san."

"Thank you. Heave-ho."

In the middle of the wilderness sat a large, circular rock. It was about Moe's height, flat on top, and about thirty steps in diameter.

"Is this our lodging for the night?"

"Yes, it's called the Great Round Rock. It has a formal name, but..."

"Really?"

"Yes, the first person to find it named it the Hero's Round Table."

Tōru thought of a red-haired acquaintance who might name something like that but continued the conversation with the guide.

"I see, no one uses it. Does this rock prevent rock lizards from attacking?"

"Yes, their limbs aren't designed to climb rocks... Oh!"

Salissa, the guide, was momentarily speechless as she watched the girl and child wash their faces with water from a leather bag, removing the sand. The silver-haired beauty next to them was calmly washing away her sweat with water. Tōru, however, paid no attention and spoke to the guide, who was wide-eyed.

"Then we can rest easy. Thank you for the guidance today."

"N-no, it's my pleasure. Since we have an early start tomorrow..."

With that, Salissa quickly set up her belongings in the center of the rock. The total conversation time for the day was less than five minutes. Tōru, shaking his head slightly, followed without a word. He realized that, except for Sora, young people generally had little interest in older men.

In the center of the rock, there were metal fixtures installed by predecessors, allowing them to set up tents with ropes. Next to it was a shallow depression with black, scorched marks, indicating it was used for cooking.

"I'll set up the tent. Yuriri-san and Sora, please prepare dinner."

"Sure, we'll hurry."

"Then Moe will have to eat."

"Come on, Moe-chan, over here. Let's make something delicious together."

"Moe, I guess I have no choice."

As the sun set, the strong wind subsided. Tōru, lighting the magic stone lamp, quickly swept away the sand and spread the boar hide to insulate against the cold rock.

After assembling the poles and covering them with the tent fabric, he secured it tightly to the metal fixtures with ropes. This time, the tent was fully enclosed to prevent sand from entering.

Salissa's tent was similar but slightly lower. After setting up the second tent, Tōru turned around, drawn by the delicious smell.

It seemed the food was ready. Steam rose from the pot on the heating plate.

"Would you like to join us?"

The woman, who had planned to eat just bread and a little water, nodded hesitantly.

The dinner menu consisted of hard bread, cheese, and rock lizard meatballs in soup.

The constant tapping sound from the knife had been to make the tough meat into meatballs. One bite revealed a rich flavor, surprisingly light and well-complemented by the red pepper. Tōru, savoring the broth, stopped moving.

With wide eyes, he savored the deliciousness in his mouth. It seemed the rock lizard's true value was in the soup's broth. He drank it eagerly, forgetting his fatigue, and the meal was over in no time.

"Tokochan, open wide."

After cleaning up, the group yawned and prepared for bed. Moe opened his mouth wide to check for any toothpaste residue. Tōru, taking the toothbrush, carefully scrubbed the back of his teeth. Just as they were about to enter their tents, the girl suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, look. The sky is full of stars, Tōru-chan. One might fall, don't you think?"

Looking up, they saw the sky filled with stars, each twinkling clearly due to the lack of obstructions.

The girl, face up, spun around happily.

"I've heard that the wind here keeps the clouds away."

"Is that so? You don't see such a night sky often."

"Yes, you have to travel to see it."

Tōru and Yuriri nodded quietly and shared a small smile. It had been a challenging day, but they had made it safely.

"I've heard that the desert night gets cold. Stay warm."

"Leave it to me, Yuriri-baachan! Moe will keep Tokochan nice and warm."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Good night."

"Good night."

The next morning, the guide was speechless as the group washed their faces and prepared breakfast with water. She silently concluded that they would have to turn back today.

But her prediction was quickly proven wrong.