The next day, Rest promptly visited the southern mountain range.
The range stretched out with peak after peak, offering a magnificent view even from the base. Several mountains soared high enough to pierce the clouds, their summits dusted with snow.
"This is... incredible. Even more impressive than I imagined."
It was like the Himalayas.
Of course, Rest had never seen them in his past life.
"Ah, it's been a while since I came here. The view is as beautiful as ever."
Yuri, who had come along, leaned in to peek at Rest's face.
"I'll be your guide! Just sit back and relax!"
"......No, I'll have to pass on that."
Rest shook his head.
Yuri was all bubbly and grinning ear to ear, clearly excited about the mountain hike... but Rest had absolutely no intention of relying on her.
Asking Yuri — a hopelessly directionally-challenged person through and through — to lead the way would be anything but smooth sailing. In fact, it was more like signing up for a shipwreck. The only future he could see was them getting lost together.
"I already found a guide in the village at the base of the mountains. We'll follow their lead."
"Thank you for choosing us today. I'm Ribery, your guide."
The woman hired as their guide from the village gave a polite bow.
There were numerous guides stationed at the mountains near the base of the range, and guiding visitors through the mountain range was an established business.
Apparently, some people tried to save money by entering without a guide... and roughly twenty percent of them ended up lost and missing.
"The mountains are very easy to get lost in, and there are many monsters as well. Please be absolutely sure not to wander off on your own."
The guide they had hired from the village... Ribery was a somewhat older woman in her mid-twenties.
Her brown hair reached down to her shoulders, and her skin had a wheat-brown tone — likely from sun exposure in the mountains.
Incidentally… Ribery had not told Rest and Yuri that they were nobles. If they started acting all stiff and formal around her, it would just be a hassle.
"Now then, to confirm… your objective is monster hunting. You wish to have the wyvern subjugated, is that correct?"
"Yep, that's right."
"Mm, you've got it."
"…Forgive me for asking, but do you actually have the strength to defeat a wyvern?"
Ribery probed with a searching look.
The question was a fair one.
Rest and Yuri were both teenagers — a boy and a girl, no less. On top of that, they were completely unarmed, without so much as a weapon on them.
Wyverns were sub-dragons. They ranked among the more powerful monsters, so it would not be unreasonable to view their endeavor as a reckless challenge by a pair of youths who didn't know their own limits.
"I'm a magician, so I'll be fine. As for this one here… well, she'll be okay regardless."
"I'll be totally fine! We're really strong!"
"…………"
Rest and Yuri's words only deepened the bitter expression on Ribery's face.
As expected, she clearly saw them as reckless, headstrong youngsters.
"Sigh… Well, I've already received payment in advance, so I will guide you. However, I will not be participating in combat. No matter what happens, it is at your own risk, understood?"
Ribery confirmed in a firm tone.
When they had explained their objective of subjugating the wyvern, she had repeatedly emphasized just how dangerous it was.
She had not refused to serve as their guide, but… no matter what happened, it was at their own risk. She had even made them sign a contract stating that she bore absolutely no responsibility if they were injured or killed.
(Well, I can't really blame her, honestly. If I were in her position, I'd think we were reckless too. We're just kids, and Yuri has absolutely zero sense of tension…)
"Yeah, I know. If the worst comes to the worst, you can leave us behind and run. Don't worry about it."
"...If you're willing to say that much, I'll guide you. But please, if you don't want to die, listen to what I say."
"I got it! Oh, right! I brought lunch! It's whole-roasted rock lizard, Rest's favorite!"
"I don't recall saying that was my favorite... You went and caught another weird monster, didn't you..."
"............"
Listening to their conversation so utterly devoid of tension, Ribery pulled another bitter face.