Chapter 83

"......Huh, move forward?"

"Of course, we've only covered half a day's distance."

"But, um, are you sure it's okay?"

"Hmm? Isn't it your job to make that judgment?"

"Y-You're right..."

Salissa was momentarily speechless at Thor's reasonable response. She had assumed that the elaborate use of the water they brought was because they had decided to turn back after yesterday's experience on this route.

In this dry wilderness, the amount of water they could carry determined how far they could travel. Food could be managed by eating the meat of monsters, but water sources were almost non-existent, making it nearly impossible to replenish water on the go. The minimum amount needed per person per day was one leather bag. For a three-day journey with four people, twelve bags were necessary. However, among them, only Thor and Sora were carrying the supplies. Even if we set aside the impossible situation where the others were carrying nothing, it was hard to believe that they were carrying such a large amount of water based on the size of their backpacks, excluding the tent.

"Then, let me check the food and water we have..."

"Sure, take your time."

The inspection was quickly over. They had enough bread, dried fruit, and cheese for two days. There were only five leather bags, but for some reason, all of them were completely full. Surprised, Salissa stumbled backward and accidentally stepped on a pile of sand at her feet. Suddenly, a young cry came from behind her.

"Aaaah! Muu's, Muu's mountainaaaah!"

"Huh!?"

It seemed that a child of the Purple-Eyed Clan had been playing with sand on the floor. With wide, violet eyes, Salissa stared in shock at the sand mountain she had destroyed.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Salissa hurriedly crouched down and tried to rebuild it by gathering the white sand. At that moment, a sudden gust of wind blew through, scattering all the sand.

"Waaah. Muu's mountain is completely ruined."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"Waaah!"

"Hey, don't be so upset. We can make another one."

"No, you don't understand, Thor! It's more fun to destroy it than to build it!"

"You like destroying things, don't you..."

Muu, who was picked up by Thor, shook her head and rubbed her face against his chest. Seeing the sulking child, Salissa bowed her head repeatedly, and they ended up leaving without resolving the water issue.

The storm had calmed down considerably, probably because they were already in the central part of the wilderness. Their pace had also quickened compared to yesterday, thanks to their strategy of avoiding rock lizards. However, they couldn't avoid all the monsters.

"......It's dangerous on the left and right."

After playing a light melody on her harp, the guide, who had been listening intently, declared. Thor nodded in response. The melody she had played was the "Negative Sound," a method of confirming safe zones by distinguishing the sound reflections caused by the density of the sand, utilizing her skills as a performer.

As Thor and the others moved deeper, a new obstacle appeared: quicksand, known as sand traps. These highly fluid sand patches could swallow a foot to the bottom in an instant.

However, they weren't deep enough to be immediately life-threatening, only reaching waist-high. It took considerable effort and time to pull out of the sand, and there was a risk of secondary victims. They should avoid these as much as possible. Since it was almost impossible to distinguish them on first sight, Salissa offered to help, as an apology for destroying the sand mountain in the morning.

"Mamimumeme, mumememo♪"

Thanks to the unfamiliar instrument, Muu's mood had completely improved, and she was happily humming a strange tune while waving her fingers.

"Muu, you're a good singer."

"Sora, did you know? It seems Muu is a genius. Rikkar said so."

"Is that so? Muu, can you tell Thor where the rock lizards are?"

"Leave it to me! They're over there and over there!"

Muu pointed to the front and left. It seemed one of them couldn't be avoided. Using the <Fix> spell he had saved and a sharpened sword, Thor quickly dispatched the lizard, cutting off only the tip of its tail before moving on. They continued walking like this and managed to cover a considerable distance by mid-morning.

They had lunch at a small rocky outcrop, not quite large enough for a tent, and continued walking in the afternoon. A new change appeared before them.

"Look, Thor. There's something over there!"

"What is it? It looks blue."

"Huff... puff... To me, it looks like some kind of flower. ...Could it be the Blue Crown Flower we learned about in the pre-training?"

"Now that you mention it, it does look like it."

Standing alone on the sand was a small, eye-catching blue flower. The long stamens extending from the blue petals formed a row of crown-like protrusions.

"I think it's the ingredient for a blood-stopping healing potion. Should we pick it?"

Healing potions were several times more effective than blood-stopping ointments and could stop bleeding and speed up recovery even for serious injuries. For this reason, a single Blue Crown Flower was worth one silver coin.

"Hmm. But Thor, there's a lizard there."

"Oh. Then, let me take it down before we pick it."

As Thor approached, a large white lizard suddenly emerged from the sand. It was supposed to be a routine encounter, but an unexpected event occurred. Surprisingly, the blue flower was growing from the monster's head.

Thor was momentarily taken aback by the somewhat ridiculous appearance, but his body moved naturally, and the head, cleanly severed, fell to the ground after being <Fixed>.

"Wow, it's growing from the head, Thor!"

"It is strange to find it in such a place, but it seems to be a parasitic plant."

"I see, it grows by feeding on the rock lizard and serves to attract foolish adventurers."

Thor and the others collected the blue flower and the tip of the tail and continued on, encountering and defeating several more flower-bearing monsters. By mid-afternoon, they finally reached their next destination.

This time, the large rock was long and flat, with a greater height but only a few steps in depth, much narrower than the previous large round rock.

"What's the name of this place?"

"The Fool's Stage... No, the Long Rock."

It seemed this place also had a strange name. As before, they quickly set up the tent using the metal fixtures embedded in the rock. After a brief rest with herbal tea to relax, they set out again, leaving some of the tent and supplies behind for reconnaissance.

For about half an hour, things were similar, but then the number of rock lizards and sand traps gradually increased. As Thor and the others advanced along a path flanked by large sand traps, a scene unfolded before them.

It was a view of a field of Blue Crown Flowers. Blue petals filled the field, swaying gently in the light breeze. If it weren't for the miasma, it would have been a breathtaking and fantastical sight.

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"It's so beautiful, Thor."

"Wow, I'm surprised. I didn't expect such a view."

"......What a magnificent sight."

The group was moved, but their exploration ended there. They didn't have the luxury to deal with that many rock lizards.

As Thor turned to head back, he noticed something odd about the woman at the rear. Salissa's eyes, fixed on the field of Blue Crown Flowers, had a strange, intense, and dark glow, as if multiple emotions were mixed together.