Chapter 75

Al, Orson, Maddock, and Nijela were making their way northwest along the river from a town with a ferry. It hadn't rained recently, and the river had narrowed to about ten meters wide. The riverbed, covered in stones, was quite broad, with huge rocks scattered around.

Even though the peak of the day had passed, the sun was still strong, and Al, Maddock, and Nijela were drenched in sweat, panting as they climbed up and down the rocks. However, Orson was floating in the air, sitting on a chair created by a levitation spell, looking around.

"Orson, that looks comfortable."

"Sorry. But with these legs, you know. I'm keeping an eye out, so please bear with me."

Orson rubbed his bad leg apologetically. He had been limping since an injury last spring. If he had to navigate over these large rocks, it would take him more than twice as long.

"Well, I understand. But it's still enviable. Can I ride with you?"

"Hmm, that might be a bit difficult. I could carry the luggage, though..."

Al smiled wryly. His proficiency with the levitation spell had improved significantly, and he could now carry about 200 kg. However, with both Orson and Nijela wearing metal armor, carrying two people would be challenging. Carrying just the luggage might be possible.

"Really? Even just the luggage would be a big help. The spare weapons and preserved food are pretty heavy. Can you do it for Maddock too?"

"Sure, but if we load too much, it won't move. I'll make a box to carry the luggage."

Al used a magic control spell to transform the chair Orson was sitting on, adding a one-meter square box behind the backrest. The two of them began placing their backpacks and other items into the box.

"Without this, we'd probably need to hire four porters to carry all this stuff. It's really convenient."

Maddock, relieved, rotated his shoulders, which had been carrying the luggage. The idea of hiring four porters was a bit unsettling, but Al decided to be positive, considering the increased profit.

"So, the place where we can get Raindrops is quite far, right? It's supposed to take about ten days..."

"Yeah..."

Orson looked northwest in response to Al's question.

"From here, we'll continue along the river for a while. Some parts will involve climbing through the river itself, but with the water level low, it should be manageable. At this pace, we should reach a spot where a narrow tributary flows in from the south by midday the day after tomorrow. There's a large rock there that will serve as a landmark. From there, we'll go upstream for about two hours to reach our destination."

Al used a floating eye spell to look ahead, but the forest was already closing in, making it impossible to see far.

"I heard there are a lot of magic beasts around. What kind of beasts are they?"

"The Ishinage Bongo and the Mutashi Dora. Have you heard of them?"

Orson looked at the three of them. Maddock and Nijela tilted their heads, but Al nodded.

"I haven't seen them in person, but I've heard about them. I'm from the Sipley Mountains, which are closer to the Nash Range, so it's quite far from here."

When Al was a child, he asked his father if he could reach the frontier city of Lester by moving straight east from his hometown, Channing Village. His father said it was impossible due to the numerous magic beasts along the way, and the two types of beasts mentioned were the Ishinage Bongo and the Mutashi Dora.

The Ishinage Bongo is a monkey about the size of a human or slightly larger, living in groups of about fifty. They have territories and attack humans who enter. They throw stones, making them quite troublesome. The Mutashi Dora, on the other hand, is a tiger with a body length of about five meters and, as its name suggests, six legs. It is relatively calm for a magic beast and doesn't always attack when approached.

After explaining this to the two who hadn't heard it, Orson nodded.

"You know a lot. The Ishinage Bongo is quite troublesome because of its long, strong arms. I think we'll be fine here where the riverbed is wide, but as we move upstream and the riverbed narrows, they might appear. Be especially careful once we enter the tributary."

"They throw stones. I'll carry my shield then."

In response to Orson's explanation, Maddock and Nijela took their shields out of the box and strapped them to their backs. Maddock's shield, a rectangular type over a meter tall, was quite heavy, but considering the possibility of large stones, it was necessary.

"I don't have a shield, so please take care of me."

Al's words made Maddock smile warmly, his recently grown beard showing.

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