Vermillion

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Northern part of the Commonwealth of Akland. Along the Aria River, the streets stretch straight north.

There was a horseback riding like a wind down the paved path of red bricks.

First, a ride. Beautiful brown hairline, a tight, sleek stallion. On its back, he carries a fierce warrior, armed with leather armor and a pearlescent composite bow.

And the other ride that follows is a black horse with a disappointing physique. He carries a black-coated girl carrying a sabel and a round shield, while also carrying supplies such as bedding and leather bags.

Needless to say - it's Kay and Irene.

"Kay! Are we going pretty far already?

A magnificent mountain range peering through the gap between street trees, at the end of the sight. Eileen plays her voice on the horse as she winds her blonde ponytail.

The mountains covered with snow at the top seem to be a natural barrier separating the northern earth from the principality, as well as a source of water for the Aria River. The river is significantly narrower and flowing faster than it was when I was in Wolvern, probably because it went back a long way upstream.

"The mountains are getting a lot closer. Shall we rest a little?

"Nice! I was just hungry."

When Kay answers, Irene laughs nicely as she waits. The two men decided to stay in formation by the river and get some rest.

Two days after leaving Wolvern.

Kay and Eileen were heading north on Brachiya Avenue towards the North, via lodging and small villages.

Under a tree that spreads its branches out into the river, the dislodged Kays take a whopping breath. He left the lodging early in the morning and became a rider for about three hours. Sometimes it's a long journey and the flesh on my thighs and back hurts.

Nevertheless, Sasquatch and Suzuka, who were actually running, must be more tired than just the two of us on board.

"Thank you. I'm going to take this off now."

Eileen scratches and strokes Suzuka's neck, handily removing the luggage that was bracketed in the saddle.

In order to ensure Sasquatch's mobility, the transport of travel gear was the responsibility of Suzuka. Suzuka, formerly the horse of the people of the meadows, although it is the highest speed that is inferior to Sasquatch, is resistant to weight from his disappointing physique and also carries a stamina that runs long distances.

Sometimes Irene used to bake caring for her daily brushing and eating vegetables, and now she totally misses them. Irene laughs like she's tickled when she licks her face and neck.

Kay watched it with a smile as he laid a leather sheet on the ground - but when he felt his gaze and looked to the side, he said, "Shall I do it too?" But all I said was, Sasquatch was closing his eyes.

"…… No, it's fine."

I laughed bitterly and took the reins off and I said, "Really?," said Sasquatch, tilting his little neck, licking one of Pepper and Kay's cheeks before beginning to eat the grass at his feet.

"Well..."

Eileen stood up with her hands on her hips in front of her mountainous luggage that she had lowered to the ground. And I turn to Kay as if I've noticed.

"Why don't we have an early lunch anyway?

"…… right, shall we?"

We've earned some distance in the morning, so we won't even have to rush any further today. With a friendly grass-eating sasquatch and suzuka on their asses, Kay and the others worked hard to prepare for lunch.

Eileen removes wooden dishes, pots, and traveling charcoal from her luggage. Kay picks up an affordable stone in Kawahara and sets a simple camad together to start a fire. It also buzzes branches and other branches that had fallen around it, while igniting charcoal and boiling water in a hand pan.

"Let's make porridge... and make some tea first."

He whined without telling anyone, and Eileen pulled the dried herbs and tea out of the bags. For the convenience of traveling alone, there are restrictions on the luggage you can carry, and you only bring one pan. I can't complain because the journey is inconvenient, but to be honest, maybe we should have prepared something separate about Yakan - which we both thought.

I'll take care of it.

Kay, who was born and has never dismantled ingredients, has no cooking experience other than baking meat, remains thrown at Eileen. As far as I can see, I don't think there's anything I can't do, but I feel like Eileen is taking the initiative when it comes to cooking, so I get sweet about it.

By the way, instead, Kay is in charge of cleaning up and ending the fire.

"... All right, I'll get some fish."

He tied a thin string to his arrow butt and showed Kay the river with "Dragon Scale Through (Dragon Stinger)" in his hand.

Okay, I'll get you some skewers.

"Thank you."

With Irene on her back, who begins to sharpen the twigs lightly broiled by fire with a knife, Kay spots a glistening river surface with an arrow on her bow. Cool swimming fishes - I laid eyes on one of the larger ones, releasing an arrow without any hand considering the resistance of the water.

A flashy water splash rises, leaving one shot out and the river fish scattering. After changing the location, the same procedure is applied to one more, and the scales, jamming, etc. are also processed.

"I made tea. Yikes!

"I'm coming -"

Wash your hands and then bring the fish threaded through Ella to Eileen's hand. I sat back in the shade of a tree and was given a poured herbal tea in a wooden cup to dress.

"Phew..."

River spirals, tickles, and bird voices heard from somewhere. The sun dazzles before noon, and the blue, blooming grasshoppers are pleasant to the eyes.

"……… Nice, this kind of thing too"

"Nah."

Kei keeps his back in the trunk of the tree and soothes. Neighboring Eileen is also in full relaxation mode.

Despite the journey of the two of us, it is large that this is still within the Principality that the Kays can relax so much. It is also the direct jurisdiction of Lord Krause, whose security is relatively stable. There is a police unit permanently stationed at each accommodation, and there is no need to be wary of ferocious beasts because people's hands are reasonably well in the woods along the streets.

"N ~ fu ~, Ntatta, Ntatta"

Irene pours the grain into the boiled pot again, mumbling the mysterious song. Kay also puts the cup aside and stabs Irene's prepared skewers in the river fish and sprinkles the surface with salt. And just poke it on the ground on either side of the burning fire, and then wait for the fire to come through carefully. It will be a good salt plum by the time I finish eating porridge.

"Okay. What about the porridge? Sweeten, or salt and pepper?

"With salt and pepper"

"Kay doesn't like sweet porridge."

"I'm not as bad as I am"

From the preconceptions of Japanese diet, when there are raisins in porridge or seasoned with jam or sugar, the discomfort cannot be wiped away. In particular, even when it comes to "porridge", it is close to oatmeal with crushed wheat and grain sprinkled with hot water, and my head understands that it is completely separate from the so-called Japanese "porridge".

"Yes, this"

"Thanks."

Ask for hot porridge in a wooden vessel and use a round wooden spoon. The nutrient balance was also taken into account, and the crunchy textured nuts and beans were also added together. Season is simply salt only. It tastes questionable when asked if it's super delicious, but it's not bad to enjoy the atmosphere with Eileen with a magnificent view.

- Besides, I miss it, but there's salt roasted river fish.

As I was going back and forth through the spoon thinking about it, I quickly finished eating.

"Phew..."

Laying the wooden vessel aside, Eileen slapped him in the stomach and lay down on the spot with Cotten. Enjoying the scent of salt roasting, Kay took out her pocket watch and confirmed the time.

"When?

"It was 11: 00."

"I wonder how soon we'll be there, Dylan Nillen"

"That's true………………"

Close your eyes and see the mountains, Kay. In the canyon at the foot of that mountain is the goal of our journey, the buffer city of Dylannylen.

Dylannylen is a large city situated halfway between the Principality and the North and, as its name suggests, also acts as a buffer zone. They were originally fortifications built as bridgeheads when the Principality invaded the northern lands. Now the peace accord gives divided rule between Lord Krause of Wolvern and the leading families of the northern earth.

With the exception of Dylannylen, there is no route that leads to the north, besides crossing that rugged mountain range, and it is the gateway to traffic for both the people of the snowfields and the people of the plains.

In the original Kays' opinion, after arriving at Dylannylen, it was intended to proceed northeast along the mountain range towards the Devil's Forest, but with the advice of Mr. Valgren-Kremlat, the "silver mushroom" has decided to take the route further north on the supposedly safe Brachiya street and to reach the commercial city of Beryansk before taking the east.

"Well, we'll be there by evening."

"…… well."

All together, Kay and Irene look in the direction of the city Dylan Nillen, which we haven't seen yet.

On the other side of that mountain range, the earth stretches out to the north.

…………

Patchy, patchy charcoal plays modestly, and salt grills of fish make shoe and hot air.

Until earlier, a slightly different quality silence dominated the scene. Both Kay and Eileen, they both had their thoughts on the northern earth.

I don't know exactly what awaits me before I get there.

However, there was certainty that there would be some answer.

"…… I think it's time."

Kay reaches for the salt grill, as if to mislead the air, which is too quiet. The smell is fragrant and the fire seems to be passing fairly well.

"Oh, I'll eat too."

Raised Eileen also takes the salt grill and hits it before Kay does.

"Mmm! Delicious."

"That's good"

If you stick to it, there is a tight white meat beneath the crisp skin, and the flavor is smudged with direct saltiness. I can't feel the smell of mud at all, it had a pale taste.

"This fish is delicious, though I don't know its name."

"Nah."

I have been taken care of twice and three times on this trip, but I still don't know the name. Around the body there are white spots, I also feel like Ivana, but I still didn't know what to call it in English.

More than two months had passed since they had come to this world, but in the end, Kay and the others were still just "Gentiles (Etranges)".

"Next time, let's name the locals."

"Um, let's do that."

I wonder what the next opportunity would be for Eileen to snort with a casual face.

But he never put it in his mouth, and Kay shut up and flattened the salt grill.

Afterwards, after a while of relaxation, the Kays set out again.

Proceed with a drive foot that saves speed so that it does not become a burden for Sasquatch or especially Suzuka. Even if not so hastily, Dylan Nillen was approaching right next door. Kay upwards modifies his predictions that he will arrive before the sun sets, in view of the beauty of the mountain ranges that are approaching gradually.

Also, as we proceeded north, we began to see an uncut messenger raven (homing crow) bracketed in a letter or a small cylinder on our legs. It was also commonly seen around Wolvern, but its number is particularly high here in the area. Is there a high demand for communications with only transportation and commercial points?

By the way, a scripture raven is a kind of demon that is used by magicians who have signed a contract with a spirit called the "Dead Bird (Prague)". The suicide bird is the next major spirit of the "fairy" in the [DEMONDAL] game. It is rare as a spirit and manifests itself with flesh in the present world. Its appearance is very similar to that of a raven, and at least it cannot be distinguished by a glance.

Killing a suicidal bird in a state that has not been contracted with anyone is a condition of the contract, and on the other hand it allows the exercise of very versatile techniques, such as the servant of a bird with black feathers, possession of the user demon, transformation into a suicidal bird itself, etc., the contract cannot be terminated and the contractor is known to be granted a semi-permanent state anomaly (debuff) - a curse of physical incapacity.

Bowmen and hunters, especially like Kay, often never got their hands on a black-winged bird, because no matter how much of the character they nurtured at the gap, they weakened the moment they killed the suicide bird.

At least in the game, it was set that the contract of the dead bird is the curse of death that erodes the contractor, but did the magicians of the dead bird in this world extend it to the contract with knowledge? Or, or...

The surrounding landscape changes, even as we think that's hard. The river width finally narrowed and the soil went from a damp black one to a dry brown one.

And then...

Kay stops Sasquatch's foot unexpectedly in the landscape beyond the big hill.

"…… is that Dylan Niren?"

Eileen, who caught up with Kay, also pulled the reins and lined up next door.

"…… It's like a big wall."

Pompous and Eileen's whining described the city exactly.

The border between the mountains and the mountains, in the deep canyon, the grey streets that stretch out trying to stick. It was a sort of chaos where the architectural style of the Principality was heavily reflected in stone construction and wooden architecture that used many round roots and curves.

The stone walls of the sober season expose the cold and scratchy surface layer as if to reject new visitors. Stone assemblies arranged without gaps and disappointments - except for the giant gates set up in a few places, which prevent the passage of one Ant child. It is precisely the city itself that is designed to act as a "fence" as one major point of interest.

He said that doors exist rather to be closed.

Dylan Niren told the truth frankly and strictly.

…………

But it is also true that this grey city is the gateway to the northern earth.

"……… you can't avoid it."

Arm up on the horse, Irene with a sinister face. Seeing that look on her face, Kay understands that she also feels something unexpected.

"Well, I've come all the way to the corner front door, let's knock about it."

"… That's right. Let's go."

I shrug my shoulders at Kay's words and Eileen kicks Pong and Suzuka in the stomach.

And they ran down the hill, knocking on the doors of the gray city, the city of the other race.

That was the true opening of the journey - to the northern earth.