Chapter 91

Crossing the Rubicon River on a ferry, we arrived on the opposite bank. As I walked steadily towards the cliff, the bushes rustled, and through the gaps, the shell of a giant snail could be seen.

"Master Joshua, do you want to eat it?"

Glancing sideways at the snail, I was surprised when Alru said this for some reason.

Snails are no good, no good.

"If we eat snails, we might get parasites and fall ill. Penguins could eat snails because they were a species that could, but we can't."

"It's difficult... isn't it?"

"In short, eating snails will make your stomach upset."

"Okay! Don't eat them. It will make your stomach hurt."

"Right."

Good job, well done.

Before I knew it, I ended up patting Alru's head like I would a child.

We continued walking, bypassing the snails, and soon we could see people digging for glass sand with picks.

"Master Joshua!"

"The Margrave has arrived!"

A bit of a commotion ensued, but I raised my hand and greeted the citizens. Cheers erupted, and I felt a cold sweat inside, but I maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

"I want to go to the other side of this cliff. Does anyone know a way around?"

"It's dangerous, so we haven't explored it. But I heard that the left side turns into a river halfway through."

"Thank you."

I smiled warmly at the citizen who answered, and he seemed deeply moved, his shoulders trembling.

The reaction was a bit exaggerated, but I shouldn't let it bother me.

So, from the mining site, we turned right and entered a winding uphill path. Although it was a long detour, at this rate, we should be able to reach the top of the cliff.

Good job. However, with a continuous uphill path and no road, fatigue accumulates quickly.

Panting, I occasionally stopped, pretending to be concerned about Alru, who was whistling and twitching her ears next to me.

"Phew, we've been climbing for about an hour."

"Right! We're almost done climbing."

"Wow, you can tell that from your ears or tail?"

"Um, yeah?"

It was an ambiguous answer, but Alru's ears and tail are amazing. They seem to function like insect antennae or whale echolocation.

If they can emit sound waves to detect things, they could have various other applications.

Sure enough, after just a few minutes, the slope leveled out, making it easier to walk.

Are we already at the top of the cliff?

"This way."

"Huh?"

Alru stopped suddenly, hesitantly bringing her hand close to mine.

She's not as comfortable with me as Ellie, but I can understand her feelings. Even though I was exiled, I was originally the leader of a country. If a new employee were told to be casual with the CEO, it wouldn't change so easily.

So, I gently took her hand. She smiled happily, expressing her joy with her face and ears, and began to lead me.

Following her lead, we arrived at the top of the cliff.

"Wow, wow."

"Yep!"

From up here, we could see the citizens working on the mining site below.

"The view is good, but the wind I was hoping for isn't blowing."

"It's the same as down there."

"Alru, can you sense the wind with your antennae?"

"Nearby, maybe?"

She placed her hand on her chin and gazed at the sky, giving an ambiguous answer.

I found her childlike gesture endearing, but suddenly she pulled my hand.

"Huh?"

"There are animals."

"Are they dangerous?"

"They're not large animals."

"Could they be monsters that might eat us?"

"No, do you want to see them?"

"If they're not dangerous, let's go see them."

Alru nodded and started walking, still holding my hand.

In a clear, grassy area, two fluffy creatures stood on their hind legs, looking at us with large, round eyes.

Their forelegs were folded, and their noses twitched, making them quite adorable.

Their fur was a dark brown, and their eyes were black.

They were about the size of a rabbit, maybe a bit larger. For small animals, their mouths were relatively small, and they didn't seem to be fierce predators.

"Master Joshua!"

"That's quite soothing."

A small face peeked out from the belly of the larger fluffy creature.

The smaller one was watching us intently, its nose twitching.

They might be a mother and child. Maybe the female is the larger species?

However, I feel like I've seen these animals before. They have a pouch like a kangaroo and small, round eyes.

Hmm, what are they called?

I think their name is... Quagga.

Penguin would probably know the official name. If I brought him here, he could identify them.

...But bringing him here would be quite a hassle. If he had to walk all the way, it would be dark by the time we got here, and he's heavy to carry.

Ah, maybe I could have the wild child carry him. She managed to drag me back from the forest, so she could handle Penguin easily. We had planned to meet her here anyway.

Good job.

Oh, they must have decided we're not a threat, as they started nibbling on the tall grass.

Their eating posture is rabbit-like, which is quite charming.

I want to keep watching them, but we should move on soon.

Gently pulling Alru's hand, we bypassed the Quaggas (tentatively named) and crossed the grassland.

Looking around for a place where the rock face is exposed, I found a gentle hill.

The slope of the hill had exposed rock, which was just right.

I scraped the rock face with the iron spatula I had and let the sand grains fall into my palm.

Hmm, the color looks similar to glass sand.

"Is the entire top of this cliff the same geological composition?"

"Should we look for a cave?"

"It's still light, so let's explore a bit. This area might be similar to the mining site."

"I'll guide you!"

"Huh? You can tell?"

"Not too far. I can't tell."

"How far can you tell?"

"Hmm, about this much!"

Alru spread her arms wide and tilted her head, but it was hard to tell.

But, she can probably detect things within a visible range or a bit further. That would be much more efficient than me searching visually.

I'll rely on Alru's second set of eyes.