It had been a week since Aslan arrived in Cardi.
Aslan was facing an obstacle.
And what that obstacle was, there happened to be a conversation nearby.
Aslan, eavesdropping on the exchange between two middle-aged men seated at the tavern, sipped on a beer that left only a tingling sensation on his tongue.
“Is the crossing still prohibited?”
“That’s right. What are we supposed to do, us wretched folks who waste away every day? They just keep saying the crossing is prohibited and won’t let us through.”
“My wallet isn’t exactly overflowing either. What’s the problem that they won’t let us pass? Honestly…”
“Rather, how about going through Randy Canyon?”
One of the middle-aged men, clad in thick leather armor, suggested this, but the other shook his head vigorously.
“Lately, it’s not good over there. It might even be better to sneak out and cross the Giant’s Desert. I’ve heard monsters that escaped from Henna’s Isolated Wasteland have overrun the place.”
“Monsters? Wouldn’t the wizards at Wearbird Fortress easily deal with them? After all, it’s the Baron’s territory.”
Aslan perked up his ears slightly as the middle-aged man turned to his group and spat while speaking.
“Not quite. I’ve heard there are some unique monsters this time, making extermination difficult. In fact, the baron, who’s the fortress commander, has died, causing issues with command.”
“Damn. So, are we supposed to wait here until we starve?”
The balding man muttered dismally, scratching his head. The explaining middle-aged man took a reluctant sip of beer and grumbled.
“Why are you mad at me? I didn’t issue the crossing prohibition.”
With that, the two middle-aged men fell silent and drank their liquor gloomily. Aslan barely suppressed a sigh rising within him and looked down.
That was the reason Aslan had been held up in Cardi for a week.
If only his destination had been Cardi in the Helsing Earldom instead of the Vida Kingdom, things would have been easier, but Aslan’s destination was still far off.
Cardi was, in fact, a place where Aslan shouldn’t linger too long.
Of course, it wasn’t due to security issues.
Cardi was undoubtedly one of the wealthiest cities in the northern continent.
Located at the southernmost tip of the Helsing Earldom by the sea, Cardi prospered through extensive maritime and land trade, as well as abundant food production from its vast lands, making it a rich territory.
Thanks to this wealth, mercenaries were plentiful, and the quality of soldiers was high. Wizards from the city of wizards also came via the sea route, so there was no need to worry about the quantity or quality of troops.
The problem lay in something entirely unrelated to these factors.
Namely, it being the background of the next main quest.
Aslan, deeply hooded, signaled to Angie, who sat across from him, cutting into a steaming hot potato.
Angie, failing to understand the signal, tilted her head and offered the potato. When Aslan shook his head, she shrugged and returned to eating.
The start of the next main quest begins when the “protagonist” meets the “Duke of Helsing” while staying in Cardi.
Of course, there was nothing inherently wrong with progressing through the main quest, nor did Aslan intend to avoid it.
The main quest was something Aslan had waited 12 years for and was almost essential for returning home and surviving.
The problem was that after the main quest, there would be no way to proceed toward finding the Sword Veteran.
To the northwest of Cardi, further north than Olpasbet where Aslan had broken Angie out of jail, lay Belus Alphen.
This was the next goal following the main quest in Cardi, and there was even a time limit.
Once this quest began, Aslan would lose the opportunity to reach Honinggal Barony, where the Sword Veteran resided.
Aslan anticipated that acquiring the Sword Veteran early and gathering other veterans would significantly impact the success rate of future plans strategically.
This was why Aslan currently concealed his identity under a hood and was troubled by the current crossing ban.
Randy Canyon was dangerous, and the reasons for banning desert crossings weren’t entirely clear.
Certainly, asking the duke directly would provide answers immediately, but if the main quest triggered during that process, there’d be no recourse.
Ultimately, the options were either to spy and gather information or sneak out secretly. At least understanding the reason for the crossing ban was necessary; knowledge of risk and return was crucial for survival.
But that was assuming it was possible. Aslan couldn’t decide whether to go to the monster-infested Randy Canyon or traverse the so-called Giant’s Desert.
There simply wasn’t enough information to make a judgment.
At least, having made some progress was fortunate.
When Aslan sighed, Angie, whose cheek was puffed up from concentrating on eating, asked:
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“…Should I try to force my way through?”
“There’s no point. We’ll be exposed.”
It would definitely be problematic if discovered by the priest or the duke. The duke would come to initiate the main quest, and the priest would likely attack.
Unaware of these circumstances, Angie asked:
“Hmm… Then I don’t get it. Why do we have to hide when we haven’t done anything wrong?”
“There are reasons.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“It’s complicated and hard to explain.”
“Eww, I hate complicated stuff.”
Explaining that meeting someone triggers a quest based on experiences from the game and Geladridion was incredibly complex.
Fortunately, Angie didn’t particularly enjoy using her brain and usually delegated difficult or complex problems to Aslan, allowing him to bypass explanations.
Thinking perhaps going through Randy Canyon might be more convenient since there was more information, Angie asked again:
“By the way, where’s that crazy woman?”
Crazy woman.
Since their first encounter, Angie had witnessed Ereta’s true nature and aggressiveness, and even now, despite Ereta becoming somewhat calmer and less belligerent, Angie still referred to her as the “crazy woman.”
Moreover, since no one objected to the nickname, it stuck, and thus Ereta became known as the “crazy woman” to Angie.
In reality, given her masochistic tendencies, the label wasn’t far off, so there was no need for correction.
Instead, Aslan replied:
“Gathering information.”
“Information? What kind of information?”
“She’ll be here soon. You’ll know when she arrives.”
Aslan nodded, and Angie hummed thoughtfully before picking up a piece of bread and chewing. She then glanced towards the inn door as if pondering something.
Just then, the inn door opened, and a woman draped in a dull linen cloak entered.
Her striking white hair, unhidden even by the hood, and benign pink eyes marked her as a beautiful woman.
It was Ereta.
Ereta scanned the room with a composed gaze before spotting the table where Aslan and Angie sat, approaching quickly.
As Aslan pulled out a chair for her, Ereta smiled faintly and sat down.
“Didn’t say anything bad about me, did you?”
“We did.”
Angie responded bluntly, but Ereta simply gave her a benevolent look and smiled.
“Did you know Angie tends to raise her eyebrows when lying?”
Angie flinched upon hearing this, touching her eyebrows, and Ereta smirked playfully.
“You’re lying.”
“…Grrr.”
Realizing she’d fallen for it, Angie clenched her fists, but Ereta, clearly unconcerned, picked up the beer Aslan had been drinking.
Since hearing her purpose before arriving in Cardi, Ereta had reverted to her old behavior—how she acted before losing her priesthood status after being defeated by Aslan.
Aslan silently observed Ereta, who noticed his gaze and gave a knowing smile.
“So, did you find out anything?”
Ereta paused mid-sip of beer before answering.
“They say the giants are in turmoil.”
“Giants?”
The question came from Angie, who wore an expression suggesting she had no idea what giants were. Ereta grinned, and Aslan rolled his eyes, preparing to explain.
“They’re the inhabitants of the desert we originally planned to cross. Lacking intellect and humanity, they aren’t treated like humans, unlike dragons, greens, or elves… but they aren’t considered monsters either. They’re tall and strong, stronger than Angie right now.”
“…So they’re super powerful?”
Currently, Angie’s strength was at 7, while giants ranged from 8 to 10, making them quite formidable.
Though unmatched by ordinary humans in physical combat, their intelligence was low.
They could craft simple tools but lacked the ingenuity to create advanced ones.
Thus, they couldn’t defeat trained armies.
Defeated by disciplined soldiers, they lived and traded with humans, confined to the desert.
“If the giants are in turmoil, the crossing ban makes sense, but do you know why they’re acting up?”
Aslan had tasked Ereta with gathering information, specifically from the guards.
Given Ereta’s beauty, she could mingle among the guards without drawing much attention compared to Aslan or Angie.
In just a week, Ereta had faithfully executed her role.
She assisted the guards in minor quests involving beast and monster hunts, earning small rewards and building rapport.
Her kind face helped her gain trust, making it easy to extract information.
“They were attacked, apparently.”
“Attacked? Giants?”
“Yes.”
Giants being attacked seemed implausible. Though not highly intelligent, they formed communities and had autonomous zones like the Giant’s Fortress in the desert.
The entity capable of attacking such beings was likely one.
“Must be priests.”
While the reasons behind priests attacking giants remained unclear, their actions weren’t always logical.
Amused by Aslan’s certainty, Ereta rested her chin on her hand and smiled teasingly.
“You’re wrong.”
“…What?”
“Apparently, it’s specters. The giants claim, ‘Humans’ wicked magic caused this, so help us.'”
“Huh?”
“Just rumors, but specters are plausible.”
Specters were nearly immune to physical attacks, vulnerable only to magic or rare attribute-based weapons, requiring countless physical strikes to defeat.
“Or maybe it’s a trick by the giants?”
“No, unlikely.”
Though Ereta suggested it, Aslan knew giants wouldn’t orchestrate such schemes, dismissing it outright.
Furthermore, given the specters’ presence, it made sense that the unintelligent giants would panic and plead for help.
However,
“There’s a problem.”
“Hmm?”
“The Giant’s Desert shouldn’t see specters appearing.”
Specters arose from human death and resentment, necessitating human settlements. Thus, they couldn’t exist in sparsely populated areas like the Wearbird Barony.
Yet dismissing it as mere rumor seemed incorrect, as giants lacked the intelligence to devise such elaborate schemes.
Rather, they’d likely fall for tricks themselves.
Despite considering it genuine, Aslan doubted the specters’ appearance.
Something must be amiss. Pondering, Aslan shook his head.
“Anyway, if it’s specters, it’s actually a good thing.”
“Why?”
“Specters are monsters created when human souls refuse to move on due to hatred. They’re ancient deities that emerged after the death of the gods of the underworld.”
Ultimately, they were soul-based monsters.
And against soul-based foes, Aslan had an advantage.
[Heart of Sorrow – Can cut through divine power and ethereal entities.]
Recalling the pure description lingering in the system window as if reading a branch, Aslan smiled faintly.
“I’m a hard counter.”
None understood the term, yet Aslan’s face brimmed with confidence.
Neither the woman nor the girl felt inclined to question it upon seeing his expression.
