Chapter 779

On the fourth morning, after sufficient rest, Damien and I finally set off towards the Sky Mountain Range, lugging sleeping bags, pots, firewood, and dried rations.

“Be careful on your way, sis!”

Rana, standing in front of the mansion, waved her hand to see us off.

Since she started sleeping with me, her face has noticeably brightened. Although the chains were a bit uncomfortable, it seemed like she did well wearing them and sleeping.

It would be nice if she could sleep without the chains and without sleep-talking someday.

Even though she only had nightmares on the first day, sleeping with the chains still made it hard to get a comfortable rest. Waking up the next day, her whole body felt stiff and drenched in sweat.

—

Unlike the somewhat livable area near the mansion, the Sky Mountain Range was still a frozen hellscape that refused human footsteps.

Especially the direction we were heading—a particularly harsh region within the mountain range, where even Pailoon’s scouts and beastmen dared not tread.

“…Compared to this weather, the hills where we fought Nidhogg were warm.”

Damien shivered and muttered in complaint.

“…Yeah.”

Compared to here, those hills were like a warm spring plain. Even I hadn’t expected the environment to be this brutal.

The blizzard was so thick you couldn’t see an inch ahead, and the cold froze your breath the moment it left your mouth.

All you could see was snow, ice, glaciers, and cliffs. Walking was out of the question.

The snow was so deep that every step sank you into it, and sometimes the ground would collapse entirely, revealing hundreds of meters deep crevices.

Damien and I could fly, so we could manage in this hellscape, but anyone without flight would’ve died within a day.

Of course, even with flight, it wasn’t an easy journey. The cold here was unbearable for living beings.

Even Ryu-rik’s heat-emitting fur froze and cracked, and the dried rations had turned into ice blocks that couldn’t be chewed without melting them first.

Luckily, we had removed all metal armor before setting off. If we had come dressed in full armor, Damien would’ve frozen to death.

[It’s a good thing the sorcery you’ve mastered allows you to emit fire.]

Even Hersela sounded exhausted as she said that.

Torches froze instantly and wouldn’t light, and even if you managed to light one, it would go out immediately. Without my Rune of Fire, we would’ve been wandering this frozen wasteland without a shred of warmth.

—

On the first day of searching for the Holy Sword in the Sky Mountain Range, when Damien asked where we should go, I pointed to the highest peak.

The Empire’s people called it “Elpinel’s Fingertip,” while other races called it the “Horn of the Earth.” It was the highest peak in the world, and our first destination.

Why the first? Because the Holy Sword wasn’t embedded there.

Elpinel’s Fingertip was just a landmark leading to where the Holy Sword was embedded. The final destination was quite far from there.

If we knew the final destination, we could’ve flown straight there, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

If it were, we wouldn’t have needed to search. We wouldn’t have needed camping gear either.

Think about it. From the sky, the entire Sky Mountain Range looked like a sea of white snow and blizzards. How could we pinpoint the exact location?

It’s not like there were quest markers like in a game, or satellite images with precise world maps.

The map of the Sky Mountain Range in Pailoon Castle only depicted areas humans could explore. The treacherous regions were barely represented.

So, I had to rely on my memories of the game, retracing the path I had taken to reach the Holy Sword.

—

Elpinel’s Fingertip was a few hours away at full speed, but in reality, it took us half a day just to reach the base of the peak, and night fell before we could ascend.

It was unavoidable.

The blizzard grew stronger the further we went, requiring more than double the usual energy to fly straight. On top of that, I had to keep a fire going to maintain Damien’s body temperature.

Moreover, unlike my Rune of Fire combined with the Life Force Technique, Damien’s flight ability, powered by the Heroic Tale, couldn’t be sustained for long periods.

If he flew until his Power of Feats was completely depleted, we might reach the peak, but his body wouldn’t survive the harsh environment afterward.

So, we had no choice but to take breaks to prevent his Power of Feats from running out.

“Let’s rest here for today.”

As the sun fully set and darkness enveloped the mountain range, I stopped flying and landed on a slope. Damien, realizing it was too dangerous to go further, landed beside me without protest.

Once night fell, going further was too risky.

The freezing climate, already unbearable, would turn into a deathly cold that froze your lungs with every breath.

The moonlight and starlight were obscured by the blizzard, making it impossible to see ahead.

“…Haah… Rest here…?”

Damien, utterly exhausted, glanced around. The slope was so steep there was no place to lie down, let alone stand.

“…You’re not suggesting we hang here and sleep, are you?”

“Of course not.”

I chuckled at Damien’s absurd concern.

While southern climbers might sleep hanging off cliffs, even the Twelve Knights would freeze to death here.

“We at least need a place to shelter from the blizzard.”

“…How? It’s too late to look for a cave.”

“No need to look.”

I firmly planted my feet on the slope, spread my right hand, and smirked.

“We’ll just make a cave ourselves.”

Long live the Rune of Fire.

I muttered inwardly, placing my hand against the massive slope and reciting the rune’s incantation.

– *Fwoosh!*

Flames erupted from my palm, evaporating the snow and ice, melting the rock and soil beneath.

About thirty minutes later.

After I melted the rock and soil, Damien shoveled it out with his greatsword. Through this laborious process, we finally created a cave in the middle of the slope, sheltered from the blizzard.

The cave, once scorching hot from the melted rock, cooled down quickly enough for us to enter.

We walked inside, piled up dirt to prevent the entrance from collapsing, and lit a campfire.

“Phew… Now we can survive. This should last us the night.”

“…Yeah.”

I chewed on the melted rations and massaged my sore limbs.

The warmth from the campfire and Ryu-rik’s fur finally made my body feel cozy.

Though it was still winter-level cold… but compared to the icy hell earlier, this was manageable.

At least I could emit heat while flying, so I was better off. Damien, on the other hand, sat shivering uncontrollably by the fire.

It was a pitiful sight.

If we had come to find some family heirloom instead of the Holy Sword, I might’ve felt guilty for dragging him here.

After a simple meal and a long-awaited cigarette, I crawled into the sleeping bag laid out by the campfire.

“I’ll sleep first. Wake me in three hours.”

I advised Damien, who had become the campfire’s guardian spirit, to keep the fire going for four hours.

Three hours later.

Damien, looking much better, tapped me awake and took his turn to sleep in his sleeping bag.

I sat by the campfire, smoking cigarettes and sipping tea, idly passing the time.

For about five hours.

I had told Damien we’d take three-hour shifts, but seeing him sleeping so soundly after nearly dying, I decided to let him sleep an extra two hours.

Besides, unlike Damien, who had to silently guard the campfire, I had Hersela to chat with, so time passed quickly.

Five hours later, as the rising sun began to light the cave entrance.

Feeling Damien had rested enough, I stretched, yawned, and headed over to wake him.

“……”

Damien lay there, breathing softly with his eyes closed.

I scanned his body to check his condition.

Thanks to the cave’s warmth, color had returned to his pale face, and his shivering had completely stopped.

He seemed fully recovered… Wait, hold on.

My gaze stopped as it reached his waist, hidden under the sleeping bag.

A new peak had formed in the Sky Mountain Range.

“……”

Uh… Well… I think I understand why Milia is so obsessed with him.

I clicked my tongue in defeat and turned away.

Even half-sunken in the thick sleeping bag, it was clear he was packing more than I ever did as a man.

This guy’s got two greatswords, huh?