Chapter 46

About ten days had passed, and in the evening, Al had arrived at a place called Clarence Village. This village was located to the west, after passing through the city of Milton to the northeast of Lester, the border city, and then through the city of Oates to the northwest.

Al had no trouble reaching Oates, as he had passed through it before when he went to the capital Rain from his birthplace, Channing Village, and it took him about three days to arrive. However, from there to Clarence Village, there were few travelers, and he had to ask for directions, which took him about a week to reach.

This area still had the rugged Nash Mountains to the west, and a narrow road seemed to lead to the neighboring kingdom of Tempest, winding through the mountains near Clarence Village. However, trade with Tempest was mostly conducted via the flat roads to the north of the Nash Mountains or the river connecting to the capital Rain, so this road was rarely used. Nevertheless, a grand fortress had been built near the mountain peaks for security purposes, and part of the knight's regiment was stationed there.

The job that Orson had received from Cody was to collect a mineral called alnite from a cave near here. Alnite is a mineral similar to a pale pink, milky white crystal, though not as valuable as crystal. However, Cody mentioned that he wanted to use it for his work, and the effects varied depending on the color and clarity, so only the alnite from this cave would do. It seemed that Cody wanted to keep the location of this special alnite cave a secret, which was why he only asked Orson to do the job.

Al didn't think it would take six weeks to complete the job, no matter how difficult the cave was. There must have been some trouble. Although they had only worked together for a few months, Orson had taught him a lot. Al hoped he was safe. With these thoughts in mind, Al approached the village entrance, where the cave was said to be nearby.

"Hello. It's hot, isn't it?"

At this time of year, it was much hotter here compared to Lester, which was by the sea, and just standing still made him sweat profusely. Al tried to smile as he greeted a boy standing at the gate. The boy looked a bit younger than Al but was about the same height. His brown, unkempt hair was messy, and his dirty dark blue clothes were loose. The sword at his waist suggested he was a gatekeeper apprentice.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Al. Scout. I'm looking for someone."

The boy silently held out his hand, probably asking for information money. Al shook his head lightly.

"Sure, if you have the right information."

"What? You're being cheeky."

The boy put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Even though Al was not good at close combat, he could easily handle this level of movement. Al shook his head with a wry smile. The boy seemed to get irritated and suddenly tried to draw his sword.

"Hey, Gabby, stop it."

A voice came from a building nearby. A man rushed out, looking flustered. His silver hair was cut short, and he looked to be in his early twenties. He had a well-built body.

"Sorry, sir. It's rare for people to come here."

"Hey, in Oates, they do it like this."

He pressed the boy's head down to silence him. Perhaps he was imitating what he had been told in Oates. Al couldn't help but smile wryly.

"I'll make sure to tell him properly, so please forgive him. I'm Ethel, a member of the village's vigilante group. By the way..."

Al told Ethel, the young vigilante, his name and that he was looking for a man named Orson. Ethel seemed to remember immediately.

"Oh, that man did come here. It's been quite a while. He said he wanted to use the hot spring in the back for his injured leg. Is he still here?"

"Hot spring in the back?"

Ethel explained that there was a hot spring, known as the back spring, located deep in the mountains about half a day's climb from here. People occasionally visited it for therapeutic purposes, drinking the water or warming their injured parts. There were no accommodations, and visitors would stay in a cave near the spring with food supplies. Of course, there was a possibility of encountering barbarians or monsters in the Nash Mountains, but it wasn't that dangerous. Al felt a bit let down, having rushed here, and sighed lightly.

"If you're going to the back spring, it would be dangerous to go now. The path is quite steep."

Al thought for a moment and nodded. He asked if there was a place to stay in the village. Ethel said there were no inns, but Gabby's house had an empty room, and they might let him stay if he negotiated.

"How many people are in Gabby's family?"

"Eight. What's it to you?"

Gabby answered with a snarl. Al, who had a large family and often went hungry as a child, understood.

"Mr. Ethel, how does the hunting right work around here? Are there any animals I shouldn't hunt? I'm quite confident in my hunting skills as a scout. I'd like to find something to bring back as a gift before it gets dark."

"Wow, I think there's less than two hours until sunset, but you're very confident."

In some forests, the hunting rights belonged to the nobles, and adventurers were not allowed to hunt. As the son of a village lord, Al was familiar with such considerations. Ethel, somewhat exasperated by Al's confidence, explained that the nearby forest was under the village's hunting rights, and while hunting was possible for a fee, the game belonged to the village. However, entering the Nash Mountains was not a problem, and he requested that Al reduce the number of deer damaging the fields.

"Alright, I'll go take a look. Gabby, can you ask your family to let me stay if I bring back a gift?"

"Sure, but you don't seem to have a bow or anything. Can you really bring something back? If you come back empty-handed, you won't be allowed inside. You'll have to camp in the village square."

Despite Gabby's words, Al nodded confidently. After confirming with Ethel where the Nash Mountains began, he adjusted his backpack and ran off.

* Alnite = alum crystal. It seems that using high-quality alum is good for tanning leather. The name "Al" is a coincidence.

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