Chapter 16

The carriage moved forward with a clattering sound.

Because there were unknown squad members, no one tried to speak.

Before reaching the mission site, I would write a diagnosis. Of course, it was for the young man who had fainted earlier.

He seemed a bit dazed, perhaps from hitting his head. Also, he had suffered an attack to his torso from the giant snake, leaving bruises on his abdomen.

So, I thought it would be best for him to see a doctor and wrote a return order.

The medical officer can assess the health of the squad members and decide whether they can participate in the mission or not.

About an hour later, we arrived at the building that served as the search headquarters.

When I got off the carriage, the ground was thinly covered with snow, and goosebumps rose all over my body.

Zara, who grew up in a snowy region, said she was fine.

She took off her coat and draped it over my shoulders, but it was so long that it would drag when I walked.

Zara and I have quite a height difference. I walked, holding the hem of the coat like a princess holding the hem of her dress.

Inside the building, many knights were moving about.

When the captain announced himself at what seemed to be a reception area, we were guided to a conference room.

The knights we passed looked extremely tired.

Urgas whispered to me.

"Wow, it seems like a really tough mission."

"Well, it is a snow mountain search, after all."

In the village, when it snows, women and children are not allowed to enter the forest. It's dangerous.

Why did the runaway couple flee to the snow mountain?

In the conference room, there were haggard-looking uncles. Half of them were not knights but seemed to be nobles in elegant clothing, likely the families who requested the search.

A map of the mountain was spread out on the table, with the searched areas marked.

The commander of the expeditionary force gave an explanation.

We were to search the base of the snow mountain, circling around it.

It sounded like an easy task, but the route was said to be steep.

The most haggard-looking uncle, the commander of the expeditionary force, told us:

"We are counting on the wolfman's sense of smell and the Forest Elf's hearing."

Oh, not only Gal but also me. What a heavy responsibility.

The elite members of the expeditionary force had searched up to the middle of the mountain but found nothing.

"Even if we don't find them, the search will end today. The next dispatch will be when the snow melts."

This time, they wouldn't search for bodies. If they did, it would result in casualties on the knight side.

The captain was entrusted with the map and additional equipment.

Boots with spikes on the soles, fluffy coats, hats that cover the ears, scarves, gloves, and other gear for marching in the snow were provided. A long search pole was also given.

A box full of food was provided as well.

"This is enough for half a day. Your stamina will be quickly depleted, so take it frequently."

The box contained chocolates, candies, biscuits, and sausages.

When the captain saw this, he furrowed his brow but quickly returned to his expressionless state.

"Rudtink, if you feel it's dangerous, return immediately. There have been two avalanches, fortunately without casualties."

Furthermore, it seemed that medium-sized monsters, snow bears, appeared in the snow mountain. They were discovered and defeated here three years ago. What a bad piece of information to hear.

The explanation ended there.

We were told to eat before departure.

Apparently, the food was prepared by the knights.

In the room that had been turned into a cafeteria, the knights were eating soup and bread with their eyes rolled back.

I took a tray and moved forward.

First, the soup. It had large pieces of meat with bones, and a chunk of butter was dropped in. Next, a piece of fatty grilled meat was placed on top. Then, three large, round boiled eggs and a jar of pickled vegetables were given to me.

The items seemed to be designed to forcibly boost one's energy in one meal.

Urgas, who started eating next to me, groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, it's unbelievably bad."

"Really...!"

Urgas was struggling with the soup that had the butter dropped in it.

It would make sense to put it in a rich soup with red wine, but it seemed too heavy for a light soup.

But, we had to eat or we would collapse in the snow mountain.

I grimaced and forced it down.

After eating, we put on the provided equipment and headed for the snow mountain.

"Risris, tie yourself to Urgas with a rope."

Apparently, this was to prevent me from rolling down the mountain.

I attached a rope to my belt, and Urgas held the other end.

"Alright, let's go, Risris the medical officer!"

"Okay, understood! Thank you!"

"Are you idiots!!"

It seems we were wrong. The captain pointed it out.

We were supposed to attach the rope to each other's belts and move.

We almost went to the snow mountain like a dog on a leash.

We corrected the rope attachment and set off.

The weather had worsened, and a strong wind was blowing.

"No, I have a bad feeling. It seems like a blizzard is coming..."

Zara's bad feeling, coming from someone born in a snow country, sounded like a prophecy.

Oh, I don't want to go. But I have to.

Zara, who was used to snow paths, led the way. Next was Gal, followed by Deputy Captain Berry, Urgas, and me, with the captain at the back. If there was a fight, Urgas would carry me and retreat.

We followed the path made by Zara, Gal, and others.

The deeper we went into the mountain, the deeper the snow became.

Despite the difficult footing, it was surprisingly easy because Urgas was pulling me along with the rope.

The wind was cold, and it felt like needles were piercing my exposed skin.

We prodded the snow with our poles as we moved forward.

I thought this might be an enormous search.

We searched a bit, took a short break, searched thoroughly, and then took a long break, repeating this process.

The action food we prepared the previous day was easy to take out and eat, so it was useful.

At one point, my hands became so cold I couldn't do anything.

Fortunately, we found a cave-like place and decided to take a break there.

Zara quickly made a fire.

I also took out a pot and prepared.

"Let's warm up the forest apple wine and drink it."

The alcohol would probably evaporate when heated.

When I took out the forest apple wine from my bag, Zara peered at it.

"Mel, is this homemade wine?"

"Yes, why?"

"No, I just thought you didn't have a certificate from the alcohol guild."

"Wait, is there a law that you can't make your own wine?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

Apparently, in the capital, there is a 'Wine Guild,' and you need to pay for permission to make your own wine. I didn't know that.

If it's homemade, you need to put the permit on the bottle.

"Oh, what have I done!"

"Don't worry. We're not in the capital."

The captain poured the forest apple wine into the pot.

"There's no choice."

Even Deputy Captain Berry said the same thing.

Gal pretended not to notice.

"Wow, it looks delicious!"

Urgas was already ready to drink.

I glanced at Zara, and she shrugged. It seemed she would keep quiet.

Feeling guilty, I continued the preparations.

Forest apples have effects like fatigue recovery and reducing swelling.

I added ginger powder to activate the body and honey to soothe the throat.

When I stirred it with a spoon, a sweet and sour aroma wafted up.

I poured it into each member's cup and placed it in front of them.

The captain picked up his cup and raised it.

"Let's keep this confidential."

Everyone said, "Understood," and raised their cups in a toast before drinking.

The alcohol content was mostly gone. The sweetness of the forest apples, the spicy flavor of the ginger, and the subtle sweetness of the honey were all present.

My body gradually warmed up. It was delicious.

However, making wine without permission was forbidden.

I thought it tasted like a sin.