The violent jostling of the carriage finally subsided, and the ground beneath us grew level.
The screams, roars, and thunderous crashes that had been howling from outside the carriage gradually faded, and by the time the sun came up, they were almost entirely gone.
It was, without question, the worst night of my life. The monster-lure potion Citry had thrown sent the creatures of the Garrest Mountains into a frenzy, and that insane banquet of rampaging monsters and pursuing hunters swallowed our carriage whole as we desperately tried to descend the mountain. If Ritz, Tino, and Citry's guards hadn't fought so hard to carve us a path, we would have been quietly crushed somewhere deep in the Garrest Mountains, where nobody would ever find us.
But we're alive… I'm alive.
I've broken out of death traps like this plenty of times during my Hunter days, so I was relatively calm — but Tino, who didn't have that kind of experience, was trembling in the corner of the carriage with an ashen face. Strange slime dripped from her hair, and her clothes were drenched in green blood from head to toe.
Ritz had grabbed her and forced her into the fight. She'd managed to hold it together during the actual combat, but now that the life-or-death ordeal was over, the adrenaline had drained away and left her hollow. I was worried it might leave her with lasting trauma.
"Scary… monsters are scary… shadows are scary… help me, Mastaa…"
"Hehe, that was fun, wasn't it, Krai-chaaan? Let's do it again sometime!"
Meanwhile, Ritz — who had been fighting just as hard — looked like she hadn't been bothered in the slightest.
Like Tino, her body was already filthy again from all the blood splatter despite having just washed up, but she didn't seem to care at all. She was smiling.
I was too drained to even mount a proper argument, so I answered in a feeble voice: "…Yeah, yeah, sure…"
"We should probably wash up by the water at some point… Leaving the two of us aside, Klo and the others are at their limit," Citry remarked.
It was the kind of considerate comment from someone who had, just moments ago, been ready to abandon those very same people.
I wasn't sure whether to scold her or praise her, but one thing was certain — we needed rest.
And while we were at it, we probably needed to have a serious talk with Citry about how she handled Klo and the others.
"Right, and the City of Ten Thousand Demons is still a ways off, so…"
That was when it hit me. Was it really a good idea to just leave the Garrest Mountains like this?
Citry's potion had been staggeringly powerful. At this point, whether it still even qualified as a "monster lure" was questionable.
The clearly insane monsters had kept charging at us no matter how many Ritz took down, without a shred of fear. If those frenzied creatures descended the mountain and attacked a village, the result would be catastrophic.
Of course, I knew the Garrest Mountains were far from any settlement, and I knew the chances of someone else getting hurt if we just left it were low. But wasn't it incredibly irresponsible to just walk away from a situation like this?
I wanted to stay nearby and keep watch until the potion wore off and the monsters calmed down. Not that I knew what I'd actually do if I saw something, but— "If you're asking about my personal feelings, I'd rather just push straight to town… but Citry, how long does the potion last?"
"There are individual differences, but… roughly a day."
A day should be fine. Fortunately, we'd already survived the Labyrinth Giant's attack.
Looking at the map, there was a small lake at the foot of the mountain range — connected to the same river where Ritz had washed up last night.
Water access, perfect for camping, and close to our current position. This was it.
The sun had barely risen, but none of us had rested last night. The horses had to be at their limit too.
A perfect plan that accounted for both our party's condition and the surrounding environment. Today I'm — sharp.
"You're right… It's a bit early, but let's take a break near this lake. Somewhere with even a rough view of the mountain would be ideal."
"I see… We rest and wait for a bit. That's a good idea."
Citry read my intentions right away, as usual.
Exactly. We wait until the potion wears off. If only she was always this perceptive.
"As expected of Citry, you get it. I know I'm a worrywart, but let's wait a bit."
"A worrywart? …Given the other party's strength, I think it's perfectly justified! And everyone's quite exhausted as well…"
The other party — whose perspective was Citry actually using when she said that?
Ritz, who had been listening in silence, suddenly perked up and snapped her fingers.
"That's it, Krai-chaaan! It's been forever — let's have a campfire! Build a huge fire so it's visible from the top of the mountain — and Tii and I'll go hunt some meat for us to grill… What do you think? Pretty good idea, right? Huh? Huh?"
Good grief, Ritz is as energetic as ever.
But a campfire, huh… not bad. Back in the day, when we were still adventuring together as party members, we used to do this all the time.
If you stay tense every single moment, you'll burn out when it counts. A top-tier Hunter knows when to rest.
For now, I thought Ritz and Tino should clean off all that filth first.
"It's decided, then… Just don't let your guard down about being ready to run, and let's enjoy this for all it's worth."
§ "Water… Water. We're alive. We're alive…!"
Klo or Shiro — I honestly can't remember which is which — was one of Citry's hired guards, staggering toward the lake as though he might collapse at any moment.
The other two dropped to the ground the instant they reached the lakeshore.
You've been driving the carriage and standing guard this whole time — thank you for your hard work… Just hold on a little longer while I try to talk some sense into Citry.
Savoring the profound relief of finally standing on stable ground after hours of constant jostling, I took a long, deep breath.
The destination lake was cold, crystal-clear, and absolutely perfect for camping. If it had been anywhere near a settlement, it would've been a popular tourist spot. There wasn't another soul in sight, and the thought that we had this whole vista to ourselves felt incredibly luxurious.
In the distance, animals of all sizes were drinking from the water. Monsters and animals coexisted without conflict — a tiny pocket of peace. It was hard to believe yesterday's chaos had happened at all.
On the far horizon, I could clearly make out the Garrest Mountains we had just descended the day before. At this distance, there was no way to tell how the Labyrinth Giant's battle with the other monsters had turned out, but if any of those crazed creatures headed this way, we'd know immediately.
Ritz let out a cheer, tossed her gear aside, and started stripping.
Her body, glowing with healthy vitality under the sunlight, was like looking at a painting.
"Yaaay, look, look, Krai-chaaan — the water's so pretty! I'm going for a swim! Come on, Tii, let's go!"
"M-Master!? In front of Mastaa!? You can't—"
The apprentice flushed red and tried desperately to stop her master, but Ritz paid her no mind. In one fluid motion she was down to her underwear, and with a tremendous splash she dove into the lake. You should at least do some stretches first, it's dangerous…
Tino looked my way, so I gave her a small nod.
Ritz was perhaps a little too lacking in self-consciousness, but if you got flustered at the sight of a party member's underwear, you had no business being a Hunter. I myself had been pretty flustered at first, but over time I'd gotten used to it.
Tino hesitated for a while, then, her face completely crimson, her fingers found the buttons at her collar— "I-I knew it, Mastaa, I just can't do this—!"
And with that, she threw herself into the lake with wild abandon. …At least take off your boots and belt first.
Citry was stifling her laughter.
"It's so very Tii-chan… Thieves' gear is designed for mobility, so the body lines show through pretty clearly, but she still has that sense of embarrassment about her."
Now that she mentioned it, both Ritz and Tino wore Thief outfits that were the complete opposite of the thick robes I — an Alchemist — always wore.
It was probably so they could dodge attacks at the last possible second. How they even managed to put them on had been a mystery for years.
And as for Tino, I sincerely hoped she would never lose that sense of modesty.
With Klo and the others completely spent, Citry efficiently took over camp preparations. She tended to the horses, fed them, and got a fire going.
Then she came over to where I was sitting at the lakeshore and drew a small picture on the ground with a stick.
"Oh, that reminds me, Krai-san. About the campfire — how about something like this? Facing this direction, toward the mountain—"
"…This is…?"
It was an unusual shape. And not just unusual — it was divided into three parts.
Two dots and a curved line — was that a face?
Citry pressed her palms together and beamed.
"It's a smile! It's a little extra work, but… what do you think?"
Campfire prep was already quite a handful. Making it into this shape would triple the effort at minimum.
Was this a bit too whimsical? …Who was going to even look at a face-shaped campfire? Well, I didn't have a strong reason to refuse, and…
"Yeah, yeah, I think it's great. Looks fun."
"I think tonight will be the big moment, so… I'll put my all into making a feast. Let's make it loud enough for the whole mountain to hear!"
What big moment was she talking about? I was pretty sure the biggest hurdle was already behind us last night…
I was about to open my mouth to ask when a cheer erupted from the lake.
"Krai-chaaan! A croc! I caught a delicious-looking croc! Look, look — isn't it amazing?"
A croc? Delicious-looking croc? You eat crocs? Shouldn't there be way tastier animals around here!?
I turned around and there was Ritz, straddling a massive crocodile that had to be five meters long — practically a dinosaur — wrestling the thrashing beast into submission. She was far too feral for her own good.
Tino was wide-eyed, shouting at the top of her lungs trying to stop her. Klo and the others stared in stunned silence.
In my confusion and terror, I delivered a profoundly uninspired comment: "So this lake has crocodiles."
Nature is full of dangers.
…Good thing I hadn't jumped in without thinking. Who goes, "Yeah, crocs probably won't be here."