It was our second day crossing the desert.
We pressed onward to the north.
The fighting against monsters on the second day was just as brutal.
This desert was teeming with them.
Sandworms, in particular, demanded constant vigilance.
As long as you stayed alert while walking, those burrowing creatures weren't a problem.
But there were times when it was impossible to keep your eyes on the ground.
For example, in the middle of a fight.
On one occasion, a twin-tail death scorpion appeared, and just moments later, a sandworm emerged as well.
I was swallowed whole in an instant and nearly dragged underground.
Panicking slightly, I immediately cast Intermediate Wind Magic—"Rending Wind"—and tore its body to shreds.
Then I used earth magic to burst back up to the surface.
Elinalise had been stung by the twin-tail death scorpion's poison.
She'd been thrown off balance because she saw me get taken by the sandworm.
Elinalise crumpled to her knees, her face an unhealthy shade of purple.
I took out the twin-tail death scorpion right away and saved Elinalise with Intermediate Detoxification.
No one was at fault.
It was just bad timing.
"That was impressive handling. As expected of the Quagmire. You saved me."
Elinalise didn't blame me for the fact that she'd nearly died.
Depending on how you looked at it, the whole thing was my carelessness.
She was a class act.
"Don't make that face. Even when you're on guard, sometimes things just don't go your way.
This time they did. That's all there is to it."
The threat of total annihilation was always just around the corner.
She understood that well.
The one heart-stopping moment had been just that—one moment.
Our travel was otherwise smooth.
Along the way, we spotted a massive creature.
It was trudging along in the distance.
Even from far away, we could see the clouds of sand it kicked up with every step.
It had to be at least a hundred meters tall.
It was a creature beyond easy description.
Imagine a blue whale with a bunch of elephant legs bolted onto it.
"That's a Behemoth," Elinalise said.
"You know about it, Elinalise?"
"Oh my, are you finally dropping the honorifics with me?"
"No, of course not. I respect my elders."
"Well, Zanoba is older than you too."
"That guy's just a giant child."
Behemoths were apparently famous creatures native to the Begaritto Continent.
They ranged from one hundred to one thousand meters in body length.
What they ate was a mystery. They were always found in the desert.
For monsters, their temperament was surprisingly docile.
They wouldn't attack unless provoked.
According to the accounts of those who had managed to slay one, their bellies contained a massive quantity of magic stones.
Hearing that, some people tried their hand at striking it rich by hunting Behemoths.
But Behemoths were incredibly difficult to kill.
Their outer hide was extremely tough, and their colossal bodies wouldn't so much as flinch from an ordinary attack.
They had no offensive capabilities, but their sheer size made them more than threatening enough when they thrashed around.
One might think you could just hit them from a distance.
But when things got dangerous, Behemoths would burrow deep underground and vanish.
As a result, almost no one had ever successfully taken one down.
Despite their enormous size, no one ever found their corpses either.
That was why rumors persisted of a place called the Behemoth Graveyard—where massive Behemoth bones and untold numbers of magic stones lay scattered.
It was like an elephant graveyard, and the thought of it was genuinely exciting.
There was probably some mundane reason no one had gone after them—monsters eating the bodies, or something like that.
"If it's you, Rudeus, maybe you could take one on if you really tried?"
"I have no intention of attacking a harmless herbivore."
But if I ever got desperate for money, taking potshots from long range might be worth a try.
---
On the third day, we encountered a sandstorm.
No—"encountered" wasn't quite the right word.
As we walked, we spotted what looked like a wall in the distance.
When we got closer, it was a sandstorm.
I consulted Elinalise about whether we should wait for it to pass, but this particular sandstorm seemed to be flowing through one fixed area in an endless loop.
It showed no signs of letting up.
We were on a tight schedule, so I used magic to cut through the sandstorm.
I'd been told not to manipulate the weather too much, but sometimes you just had to do what you had to do.
After about an hour of walking, I happened to glance back.
The sandstorm had formed again in the exact same spot.
Maybe that was some kind of magical barrier, after all.
Like the natural barriers that Orsted always used to block the path to ruins.
Nanahoshi hadn't said a word about that.
She probably hadn't had the chance to examine her surroundings.
It was understandable that she didn't remember.
Her information wasn't all that reliable.
---
Day four.
The number of monsters had dropped drastically.
That sandstorm had been serving as a kind of barrier, then.
The ecosystem on either side was completely different.
The scorpions only had one tail now, and there were no swarms of ants marching in huge formations.
The sandworms were only about as thick as Elinalise's torso.
There were no bats circling around at night anymore.
We did spot the occasional raptor past dusk.
But the packs were smaller, and the creatures themselves were smaller too.
Not a single Garuda in sight.
And we hadn't been attacked by any succubi at night, either.
Partly a relief, partly...
No—not partly lonely at all.
---
Day five.
Walking through the desert.
An endless sea of sand stretched to the horizon.
The same scenery went on and on, without interruption.
Apparently, when people walked through featureless terrain, they tended to wander in wide circles and end up back where they started, even if they thought they were going straight.
It was because the stride length differed between the dominant leg and the supporting leg.
I doubted that was a problem for Elinalise, of course.
But come to think of it... hadn't I seen that dune before?
Even letting that thought cross my mind for just a second was enough to plant a seed of doubt.
What if Elinalise had gotten us lost?
Well, having the thought was fine.
As long as I didn't say it out loud.
If I said it, Elinalise would feel bad.
If she felt bad, our teamwork would suffer.
And fractured teamwork led to death.
All I could do was forgive.
When Elinalise made a mistake, I would smile and forgive her.
I would never blame her.
Yes.
"...Oh, Rudeus. I think I see something up ahead."
All that resolve turned out to be unnecessary.
In the direction Elinalise was pointing, something shimmered through the heat haze.
"I'll go check."
I used earth magic to create a stone pillar and climbed to the top for a better look at what lay ahead.
There was something out there.
But even from up here, I couldn't make it out clearly.
All I could see was something that was a different color from the sand.
It could have been a mirage.
We headed straight toward it, keeping an eye out for monsters.
Just walking, one step after another.
Come to think of it, we hadn't encountered a single monster today.
Maybe there just weren't any around here.
No—I couldn't let my guard down.
As I was thinking that, the thing came into clear view.
A massive rock formation, reminiscent of Uluru.
The height had to be about fifty meters.
The word "cliff shelf" came to mind.
It wasn't sheer exactly, but it looked like a struggle to climb.
And it continued on beyond the horizon, stretching endlessly.
I couldn't see where it ended.
"Should we go around?" Elinalise asked.
"No, let's climb up. I'll use magic."
I created a stone pillar with earth magic, scooped Elinalise up in my arms, and rode the improvised elevator toward the top of the rock shelf.
Since I had no idea what was up there, I took it slow.
But then I noticed something strange.
A ticklish, rustling sensation near my backside.
"Um, Elinalise?"
"Yes?"
"Your hands are wandering."
"It's just a habit. Don't worry about it."
For the several minutes it took to reach the top of the rock shelf, Elinalise's hands roamed freely over my body.
"..."
Maybe the curse was starting to take its toll.
I had the magical tool injecting me with mana.
But all it did was extend the limit—I still had a hard deadline.
It had been about ten days since my last time with Cliff.
The magical tool was helping me hold out, but it was still a prototype in the end.
I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
I wanted to reach civilization as soon as possible.
If it came to that, I would have to be the one to deal with her.
But that would definitely be cheating.
You could call it adultery, too.
It didn't matter if it was all because of the curse.
On this journey, I wasn't going to sleep with Elinalise.
That was something I'd decided before we set out.
If there was a bazaar nearby that offered male escorts, that would be ideal.
Purely for dealing with my urges—that was the best approach.
For both our sakes.
"Elinalise, we've reached the top."
"Yes, so we have."
Elinalise didn't let go.
She was tracing her fingers along my shoulder, her gaze heated.
"...Let go of me."
"My apologies."
Elinalise released me.
But her eyes drifted straight to my lower half.
I felt my virtue was in danger.
Maybe carrying her up like that really hadn't been the smartest move.
There probably would have been a better way.
Looking back, she had been the one trying to avoid physical contact all along.
I might have been the one who broke the equilibrium.
This wasn't good. I needed to reach a bazaar soon.
"Shall we go?" she said.
"Sure."
At Elinalise's urging, I started walking.
The next instant, a shadow fell across the ground below.
"Rudeus! Get down!"
A sharp cry.
Before I could even look up, I threw myself flat on the ground.
A split second later, something passed over my head.
A chill raced down my spine.
I sprang to my feet and identified the attacker.
A sand-colored monster with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle.
It spread its massive wings and landed with a heavy thud a short distance away.
"It's a Gryphon!" Elinalise shouted.
Enemy. Switching to combat mode in an instant.
I raised my staff and squared up against the gryphon.
Our positioning was bad.
Elinalise was almost directly behind me.
We'd ended up with our backs to each other—a back-attack formation.
No—Elinalise could handle herself even in situations like this.
She'd swap positions with me smoothly and move back to the front line.
"Rudeus, tag! You're it! Leave that one to me!"
That wasn't going to work.
Behind me, I heard the frantic beating of wings.
There were two gryphons.
We'd been caught in a pincer.
I had to take down the one in front of me—Gryphon A.
If I dodged and it went for Elinalise instead, she'd be attacked from behind.
...Actually, maybe that was better.
Elinalise could handle both of them while I took them out one at a time.
That was how we'd been doing things so far.
No, we hadn't actually discussed that.
She'd said to leave one to her.
If I didn't take mine down, Elinalise wouldn't be able to handle the situation.
Alright.
The gryphon lowered into a predatory stance, beak half-open, eyes locked on me.
The distance was short.
The gryphon looked agile—it might dodge a Stone Cannon.
Or it might be able to tank one.
I wanted a sure kill.
Forget the Stone Cannon.
It had wings—I didn't know how well it could fly, but the Quagmire probably wouldn't be effective either.
Wind, then.
Power gathered in the gryphon's hind legs.
It was coming.
The gryphon's rear foot struck the ground with a sharp tap.
It spread its forelegs like a tiger and launched into the air.
I dropped into a crouch and cast magic at the ground.
Advanced Earth Magic—"Earthen Needles."
Three meters long.
Deployed in a radial pattern all around me.
"Kyeaaaah!"
The gryphon immediately beat its wings.
It tried to alter its trajectory midair and dodge to the side.
I could see it.
My eye of foresight showed me exactly where it would go.
With my left hand, I cast wind magic—a small tornado to strip the gryphon of control.
The gryphon tumbled through the air, caught in a spiral.
But even then, it twisted its body like a cat, trying to land.
I fired a Stone Cannon at the landing spot.
The spell launched with a piercing whine.
Direct hit.
A black hole burst open in the gryphon's torso.
The next instant, with a wet thud, the projectile punched clean through.
The gryphon stumbled a few steps, then collapsed without a sound, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
I finished it off with fire magic.
Then I spun around.
Was Elinalise safe?
She was.
She was blocking the other gryphon's attacks with her shield while swinging her estoc.
The gryphon's forelegs were stained bright red.
Elinalise had been targeting just that spot, over and over.
She was focusing on a single point, wearing the creature down.
"Elinalise! 'Stone Cannon!'"
I shouted from behind as I fired.
Elinalise sidestepped to the right.
The gryphon didn't chase after her.
It had noticed me and was trying to dodge the Stone Cannon.
But in that instant, Elinalise thrust her estoc forward.
The blade sank shallowly into the gryphon's front leg, which was planted on the ground.
The gryphon's body buckled.
It couldn't dodge the Stone Cannon.
Direct hit.
A hole burst open near its neck.
The Stone Cannon tore through the gryphon's flesh, ripping through its interior.
It shattered the spinal column and exited out the other side.
The gryphon's head lolled to one side as it collapsed.
Its body twitched and spasmed on the ground.
Elinalise drove her estoc into its skull and delivered the killing blow.
Then I scorched both gryphons with fire magic for good measure.
We'd won.
After that, I kept watch for any pursuing threats.
After a while, I let out a long breath.
"Hoo... sorry. I let my guard down for a moment."
"No, I should take some responsibility too for not checking the sky properly."
Apologizing for our respective mistakes, we turned our gaze forward.
The top of the rock shelf had some sand scattered about, but it was mostly solid stone.
There was no need to watch for things underground anymore.
"From here on, let's keep an eye on the sky," I said.
"Agreed."
After a minimal sweep of the area, Elinalise and I continued on our way.
---
Day six.
The rock shelf was a gryphon nesting ground.
We were attacked at regular intervals.
Each section had its own territory.
Gryphons were B-rank monsters.
They didn't use magic or anything like that.
But they had extremely high physical abilities and some degree of flight.
Their three-dimensional maneuverability made them formidable opponents.
They were usually solitary, but mated pairs would raise offspring together, forming packs of two to five.
They were highly intelligent, and packs employed sophisticated coordinated hunting tactics.
Because of that, a pack was said to be equivalent to A-rank.
That said, they were no match for us.
I'd gotten pretty strong if I could say that.
Night fell.
No trace of succubi.
They probably didn't enter gryphon territory.
Also, gryphons were fiercely territorial—even toward others of their own kind.
For a day or two, other gryphons wouldn't come attacking from a distance either.
In other words, this place was safe.
For the first time in ages, we lit a campfire and barbecued gryphon meat.
Since the last one we'd taken down had been a parent with young, I went for the juvenile.
No matter the species, the young ones were always more tender and tasty.
There were even dishes like veal steak back in the civilized world.
As someone who was going to be a parent myself soon, I felt a twinge of guilt.
But survival came first.
Humans were selfish creatures.
I did know a thing or two about cooking monster meat.
And I'd brought the appropriate seasonings for exactly that purpose.
Unfortunately, raptor meat hadn't been all that tasty, but gryphon meat—somewhere between mammal and bird—was sure to turn out delicious.
I used pre-mixed seasoning.
Kokuri fruit, awazu seeds, and dried abi leaves—mixed in a 1:2:2 ratio and ground into a fine powder.
I licked some off my finger and it stung with a pleasant heat.
I dusted the cut meat generously with the mixture and worked it in well.
Then I sprinkled on some salt and started grilling.
Once the surface had taken on some color, I moved it away from the fire and let it cook a bit more.
When the fat started sizzling and dripping from the surface, it was done.
Careful not to burn myself, I took a bite.
The juvenile gryphon's meat was tender and juicy.
It had a slightly gamey taste, but the spice of the seasoning masked it nicely.
Of course, cooking it this way meant the inside wouldn't be fully done.
But that wasn't a problem.
If I bit through the seared surface and hit raw meat, I just had to add more seasoning and throw it back on the grill.
"This takes me back. Geese always used to keep seasonings like this hidden away," Elinalise said.
"Thieves and the like tend to carry stuff like that."
In the years since I'd parted ways with Eris, I'd made my way as a wandering adventurer of sorts.
I'd joined all sorts of parties.
Every party had that one person who always had seasonings like this on hand.
Thieves, especially.
They were constantly plucking fruits and leaves from whatever trees they passed and stockpiling them.
It wasn't just for cooking.
Some monsters were repelled by herbs and fruits with strong scents like these.
In an emergency, you could throw them or use them as insect repellent.
Some people even ground them up and used them as eye irritants.
"Your seasoning is actually pretty good," Elinalise said.
"Thanks."
Elinalise licked the grease off her fingers with terrible table manners.
It was a gesture she would never make while eating in town.
Elinalise licking her fingers was reserved for other occasions—like when she was seducing a man.
"You've got terrible table manners, Elinalise."
"Oh my, just like Zenith to say something like that."
"...My mother used to say things like that?"
"'As a young lady, you need to be more mindful of things like this'—she always said that with her cheeks all red."
Elinalise imitated someone's voice.
It was a bit different from how I imagined Zenith.
But it probably was her.
It just went to show there had been a time before I existed.
And that Zenith now...
No—let's stop. I shouldn't dwell on thoughts that stirred up anxiety.
Worrying on the road never led to anything good.
"So... Elinalise, were you already the slutty type back then?"
"'Slutty'—well, I suppose you're not wrong.
Anyway, back then, everyone was either naked or in their underwear at night.
Ghislaine didn't even know what a brassiere was.
The way Paul looked at them... ugh, it was just..."
That Ghislaine—exposing herself like that?
No, actually, that tracked for Ghislaine.
She'd been pretty naive about that sort of thing.
And as for Paul...
Well, it wasn't hard to understand.
All beast-tribe types were practically walking Decamerons.
"Oh, speaking of which—when you first met Zenith, she was about your age, wasn't she..." Elinalise said, eyes distant with memory.
"Sixteen, maybe?"
"Mm. A completely clueless girl. Paul picked her up with some dumb line and brought her along."
Elinalise's eyes softened with fond recollection.
Come to think of it, Geese and Ghislaine would occasionally get that same faraway look when they mentioned old companions.
It must have been a fond memory.
"My dad—he seemed like he wanted to apologize to you about something. Is it all right if I ask what happened?"
"...I'd rather you didn't."
Elinalise grimaced.
She clearly didn't want to talk about it.
"You wouldn't want to hear about your father's romantic entanglements either, would you?"
"No, I really wouldn't."
I actually did.
But if she didn't want to talk about it, it was better not to push.
That was what it meant to read the room.
Even so—romantic entanglements, huh?
She'd apparently had a physical relationship with Ghislaine, too.
So she'd had one with Elinalise as well, then.
And then Zenith's pregnancy had blown the party apart.
I could more or less imagine the love-hate drama that must have played out.
"When we get to Lapin, I'm sure Dad will get on his knees and beg for your forgiveness."
"No matter what he says, I won't forgive him."
Elinalise's expression was pained.
Something truly terrible must have happened.
Paul.
That guy was hopeless.
But that was exactly why I had to help him.
As a hopeless comrade, I had to look out for him.
If the time came, I would go to Elinalise myself and ask her to forgive him.
---
Day seven.
We fought gryphons as we made our way north.
The rock shelf was vast.
I called it a shelf, but it might have been more like a mountain.
There was no elevation change, but visibility was poor.
Massive boulders were scattered everywhere.
As we walked through that terrain, we occasionally came across open spaces.
Almost always, that was where gryphons would ambush us.
We'd beat them back and push onward.
Then, at one point, the rock shelf came to an end.
"At last," Elinalise said.
Below the cliff:
No desert.
Trees—sparse, but undeniably there.
A savanna-like landscape stretched out before us, with little grass but the occasional tree.
Off in the distance, faintly visible through the haze:
A great lake.
And around it, white cloth canopies.
A bazaar.