Chapter 4

Once discovered, the border guards would immediately surround the three, but thanks to the earlier diversion, they were not caught by the pursuers.

The three then stepped into the mountains of Lanome.

With horses, it was easier, but they could not move quickly through the forest, and the riders had to be cautious due to the poor footing.

Airi and Stina proceeded without any hesitation through the mountains.

Just as Yerker began to think that riding would soon become too difficult, Stina told them to dismount, saying that it would be impossible to continue on horseback.

From there, they would have to climb on foot. There was no proper path, so Airi and Stina took the lead, cutting through the underbrush with their swords.

Even so, the mountain path was tough for Yerker.

The slope was steep, and the ground was obscured by vegetation, making it particularly difficult. However, he couldn't complain, as the two women were doing the harder work while moving forward.

After walking for a while, they came to a steep slope. There, Stina suggested a rest.

"Let's take a break, Your Highness."

"Are you concerned? I still have some energy left."

"Yes, I am somewhat surprised. I think it's quite impressive that you can keep up with our pace this far. However, the path ahead is one of the difficult sections."

Since Stina said so, Yerker sat on a rock as suggested, realizing that Stina seemed to have a more practical mindset compared to Airi.

"How many difficult sections are there in total?"

"Well, it depends on your stamina, but roughly three. This is the first one."

"Here?"

Stina pointed upward.

"Yes, we have to climb this cliff."

Yerker looked up.

He had to climb a vertical wall that required him to tilt his head back to see the top.

Stina must be unreasonable too, Yerker thought as he gazed upward.

"Don't look down," he was told as he started to climb the cliff. In the first place, how could he look down when he was clinging to the wall?

Stina led the way, showing him where to place his hands and feet, and Yerker struggled to keep up.

Stina effortlessly reached up and pulled herself up with ease, but for Yerker, even extending his arm was a great effort.

He could feel the tension in every muscle in his body. He knew that if he continued in this state for a long time, he would be in trouble later.

But he couldn't let go of his strength, especially in his arms. When he pushed himself up, he relied solely on the strength of his arms. Even after pushing himself up, he couldn't relax.

He had to extend his foot to a foothold while supporting his body with his arms, and only then could he slightly ease the tension in his arms.

The rope around his waist was connected to Stina and Airi. Airi was below Yerker.

If Yerker fell, it would cause a great inconvenience to the two. Thinking about this, he knew he couldn't afford to fail.

Yerker repeated this process, praying for it to end soon.

At one point, he stopped thinking about the end because it seemed too far away. He only thought about where to place his hands and feet next.

The sweat dripping down was annoying. The back of his extended hand was shiny with sweat. His arms inside his sleeves were probably drenched in sweat.

He started to worry about what would happen if the sweat reached his palms. Realizing there was nothing he could do about it, he became anxious to climb as quickly as possible.

Each time he pulled himself up with a strong effort, he was terrified of the sweat splashing.

Yerker focused on not letting the sweat get on his hands, extending his hands and feet, and following Stina.

Suddenly, Stina's figure disappeared from his sight.

Yerker became very anxious. Where was Stina? Did she fall? There was no reaction from the rope. Just as he was about to look down, a voice came from above.

"Your Highness! Look! Just a little more!"

Relieved that it was Stina's voice, he followed her instructions and reached out a little more.

He grabbed it, but at the last moment, he forgot about the sweat. He wasn't sure if it was cold sweat, but he realized that his grip strength was not enough to support his body.

A force from below pushed his feet, and a force from above grabbed his wrists.

"It's okay, Your Highness! Just a little more!"

"I'll pull you up, so work with me!"

On the count of "one," the final climb. Yerker rolled onto the top of the cliff.

His arms were numb, his breathing was ragged, and he collapsed on the spot.

Airi looked down at Yerker with a broad smile.

"Wow, impressive! I'll let the fact that you relaxed at the end slide, but to climb without slipping once! Ha ha ha! It seems you've been well trained at the knight school, Your Highness!"

Stina also smiled gently. Although she usually didn't show much affection, when she directed a favorable gaze, she looked surprisingly cute.

"I really have a new respect for you, Your Highness. If you can climb this alone, you can overcome the remaining two sections on your own. You can break through the Lanome mountains alone."

Yerker was happy to be praised, but at the same time, he felt a sense of despair at having to do this two more times.

After a short rest following the climb, Yerker and the others continued deeper into the mountains of Lanome.

The top of the cliff was different from before, with few trees and a continuous expanse of rugged, exposed rock.

Without the trees and underbrush, one might think it would be easier to walk, but that was far from the case.

Irregularly shaped boulders, much larger than a person, were scattered everywhere, and the effort required to climb over them was far greater than moving through the forest.

Of course, this was from Yerker's perspective.

Yerker, gripping the top of a rock and pulling himself up with great effort, looked up at the two waiting on the rock, breathing heavily.

"... It's not just about sword skills. Our basic abilities are just too different..."

Once Yerker confirmed that he had climbed, Airi jumped onto the next rock with ease. It looked easy, but the distance she jumped was extraordinary, and considering the height of the rock, a failed jump would be disastrous. Yerker would have to climb down from the current rock and then climb up again, but Airi could move with a single jump.

Her small stature made her incredibly agile, and Yerker watched her wave at him energetically with a look of amazement.

Stina, standing next to Yerker, scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"That girl, she doesn't have any ill intentions. She just wants to show her good side to you, even though it's counterproductive."

"Yeah, I think it's amazing, really. If she could just refrain from looking at me as if I could do it too, it would be better."

"... She doesn't have any ill intentions... Really, that girl..."

Stina descended the rock before Yerker and reached for the next rock where Airi was. Yerker followed immediately, grunting as he climbed down.

Thanks to Stina, who moved ahead and showed him how to move, Yerker was able to manage much better.

Thinking about this, Yerker had a sudden thought and spoke.

"Hey, can Stina jump and move like Airi?"

Stina, who was not suited for jumping and was much heavier than Airi, replied casually.

"Would you like to see?"

Before Yerker could react, Stina disappeared from his field of vision.

Thinking it was impossible, Yerker looked up. There she was.

Stina had jumped to a height that made her disappear from Yerker's view. It was much higher than her own height, but not high enough to reach the top of the rock. She pulled herself up rhythmically with one hand on the rock wall.

There were no visible protrusions on the rock wall, but Stina's hand seemed to have a suction cup, providing enough support to withstand the jump.

On the second jump, her right foot touched the rock wall, and on the third, her left hand. Stina reached the top of the rock with four jumps. Her acrobatic feat was impressive, but she didn't think much of it and immediately jumped down from the rock.

The jump was higher than the third-floor window from which they had escaped the castle. However, Stina landed silently and gracefully.

"See?"

Asked for agreement, Yerker couldn't respond.

"... At least, Stina, don't give me that look like I should try to imitate you. That's all I ask."

The three were now walking along the ridge of the mountain.

On the right side of the ridge, a steep slope stretched out, seemingly swept by the wind and free of obstructing rocks. It might seem easier to slide down, but the risk to life was too great to consider such a thing.

On the left side, the slope was in shadow and relatively less steep compared to the right, but it disappeared after a certain point. It was either a steeper slope or a cliff, and either way, it was not a good place to be.

The view was beautiful. Being on the highest part of the Lanome mountain, which was the tallest in the Karalia Kingdom, was like being in the highest place in the kingdom. The surrounding area was untouched by human hands, making it the perfect place to appreciate the natural beauty.

The grand and picturesque scenery below was clearly visible thanks to the generous sunlight.

The weather was good, as Stina had said, and the wind was strong but there were no other disturbances from the sky.

Stina and Airi walked along the ridge as if on a leisurely stroll, but Yerker couldn't share their carefree mood.

"... I'm prepared to be called a coward, but both of you, can the wind here get any stronger?"

The sound of the wind made it hard to hear, so Yerker shouted his complaint.

Understanding Yerker's genuine fear, Stina spoke in a serious tone.

"The weather is good today, so the wind will likely remain this way for a while. Of course, it could change over time, so consider the current wind a stroke of luck."

Yerker's face became even more tense.

Even with the current wind, Yerker had to exert great effort to maintain his balance while walking. If he lost his balance, he would slide off the ridge and fall straight down. While some people survived falls from cliffs due to their training, Yerker didn't think he could reach that level no matter how much he trained.

"Is this the second difficult section? I feel like I'm not alive at all."

Stina and Airi exchanged glances before Stina tried to reassure him.

"Y-Yes, that's right... Your Highness doesn't have much experience with mountain climbing, does he?"

"The mountain near my territory where I often trained is nothing compared to this. I can't believe I even thought about walking here."

Airi was about to say something, but Stina stopped her with a look. Stina encouraged Yerker.

"The ridge isn't that long. Just a little more endurance, Your Highness."

Yerker responded with a wry smile. Stina looked thoughtful for a moment before tentatively asking Yerker.

"Your Highness, perhaps..."

At that moment, a cloud, moving at a mountainous speed, cast a shadow over Yerker's head.

At the same time, the strongest wind yet blew from the side.

Given the physical condition after overcoming the previous obstacles, it shouldn't have been a problem, and in fact, it was much less strenuous than climbing the cliff or moving over large rocks. However, it was enough to destabilize Yerker, who was walking at such a high altitude for the first time, with his body stiff from fear and tension.

By the time Yerker realized it, his feet were off the ground.

"Your Highness!?"

The experience of being blown by a strong wind and floating in mid-air is something one rarely encounters unless they climb a mountain.

While Yerker was lost in the somewhat pleasant sensation of floating, the moment he hit the slope and crashed, his carefree thoughts vanished.

The first thing he thought was that there was no ground below. Normally, one would stop the rolling momentum by putting their hands or feet down, but there was no ground to do so. Only walls, which he couldn't grab due to the speed and angle of his roll.

The rolling speed had already exceeded what Yerker could control. He couldn't tell which direction was right, left, up, or down. Walls kept coming at him from all directions and colliding with him.

He couldn't tell if the pain was in his feet, arms, head, or torso. More than the pain, he was terrified. If he rolled at this speed and hit something that would stop him, it would be disastrous.

He prayed to stop, but there was nothing to stop him. Yerker, who should have seen it, remembered that he had rolled down the left side of the ridge. The slope on that side disappeared at a certain point, and beyond that, it was either a steeper slope or a cliff.

In his panic, Yerker couldn't immediately understand the voice that came from nearby.

"Your Highness! There's a river below! You might die, so try to stay focused!"

Immediately after, an intense impact hit his side.

His body was thrown into the air, and only then did Yerker realize his situation.

He could see the long slope and the ridge far in the distance, from which he had rolled down.

He was high in the air, and the slope ended, revealing a deep valley as he had expected. He was currently falling towards the bottom of the valley.

The heavy rumbling in his ears was the sound of the wind. He had never known that the wind could make such a terrifying and eerie noise.

Mixed with the unbearable noise, a clear, high-pitched voice could be heard.

"Your Highness! Stretch your legs straight down! I kicked you to make you fall into the water, so if you don't fail the landing, you might survive!"

While thinking, "Ah, that guy kicked me at the last moment, damn it," Yerker stretched his body as instructed. Just as he was about to ask why the other person was there too, his consciousness completely faded. The fact that he had held on this long was a miracle, and it seemed he couldn't withstand the impact of hitting the water.