Volume 6, Chapter 14 – The Weeping Mountains

Nola’s flight speed was exceptionally fast. In just a short while, she and Fia crossed the small city below, which didn’t even have a city wall. It wasn’t until they flew over a large area of black earth waiting to be cultivated that the scenery below became chaotic again. The roads opened up by people narrowed visibly until they disappeared completely into the dense, dark green forest, and the earth was once again covered by lush vegetation.

Winter had just passed, and the trees should have been bare and solitary. Yet, at this moment, they were as lush as in midsummer. The Weeping Mountains likely had an effect similar to the Holy Tree, able to ignore seasonal changes and keep the surrounding vegetation evergreen.

Fia observed the land below while making an assessment in her mind. Because the two were flying at a height of five hundred meters, beyond the maximum range of her [Wind of Exploration], she wasn’t clear on exactly how strong the monsters wandering the edge of the forest were.

“We’re here.”

After flying over another peak, Nola slowed down and descended toward the mountaintop. From their position, they could see a faint white mist drifting in the lush valley below. It wasn’t naturally formed fog, but the effect of a magical barrier. Additionally, the faint roars of angry monsters and the clash of metal could be heard in the distance. Fia guessed these were adventurers who made a living hunting monsters, engaging them in battle. On the way here, she had seen quite a few shabbily dressed beastman adventurers.

Taking a deep breath of the cold mountain wind, Nola glanced at Fia, then reluctantly extended her hand toward her.

“We’re already inside the Weeping Mountains.”

“Didn’t you say it only counts once we enter the fog?”

“It’s noon right now, so the fog hasn’t spread here. At any other time, this location would have long been covered by thick fog, making it impossible to see anything beyond five meters. You should hear the sound of adventurers fighting, right? That’s one of the illusion’s effects. It makes you think there are living people nearby, guiding you to search for them. Following that sound will only lead you deeper into the trap.”

“Even the sound is an illusion? A barrier covering such a wide range must take quite some time to set up.”

Fia’s unhurried attitude added a touch of dissatisfaction to Nola’s brow. She shook her extended, fair hand.

“Are you going in or not? If not, I’m going by myself.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. You want to shake hands?”

Nola clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Tsk. If you don’t hold my hand, how can I lead you in? Without the God-Given Weapon bestowed by the Goddess, even I would get lost in the Weeping Mountains. This is the outermost layer, so the illusion barrier’s effect is still mild. The deeper we go, the stronger the illusion becomes. Let me be clear upfront: holding hands doesn’t mean I approve of you and Claire. This is strictly business.”

“If you’re really unwilling, using a magic staff instead is fine.”

Actually, Fia wanted to say she had [See Through], so illusion magic likely wouldn’t work on her. But Nola would probably say, “Ordinary detection magic can’t see through the illusion barrier.” To communicate more efficiently, she directly took out the [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] and handed the other end of the staff to Nola, signaling that Nola could hold that end to lead her.

However, Nola’s frown deepened. She swatted the [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] away and forcefully grabbed Fia’s wrist with a face full of impatience.

“I’m not like you particular elf nobles. We’re both women; what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“You were the one looking reluctant.”

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At first, when Nola swatted away her staff, Fia was quite displeased. But she hadn’t expected Nola to grab her hand directly. The cool temperature and slenderness of Nola’s palm made her skin tighten.

Even though she’s a fire cat, her body temperature is very low. And for someone who uses a greatsword as a weapon, her palm is unexpectedly soft and delicate, like a noble young lady’s. It’s incredible that she doesn’t have calluses.

For a moment, Nola appeared a bit more girlish in Fia’s eyes.

Fia’s words made Nola’s expression stiffen.

“My reluctance back then was just to explain that I—”

Just couldn’t frankly accept you, my romantic rival.

Fia waved her hand, interrupting Nola.

“Alright, alright, no need to force yourself to explain. More importantly, your hands don’t look like a warrior’s at all. And shouldn’t fire cats have a high body temperature?”

“No matter what, I’m still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Although calluses are proof of hard work, I don’t like them.” Nola looked down at Fia’s hand. “Compared to me, yours are truly noble hands. Never done heavy work, slender and fragile. Calling you a noble young lady is an understatement. Let’s go. If we delay too long, the carnivorous monsters that hide by day and come out at night will emerge from their nests. If there are too many, even I will have trouble dealing with them. It would be troublesome if we got lost. Also, remember not to use flight magic inside, or at least don’t fly too high.”

“Why?”

“If you want to become a target for those seventh-rank monsters, pretend I didn’t say anything.”

With that, Nola waited for Fia to be ready, then pulled Fia’s hand and flew toward the valley below. Being half a step behind Nola, Fia could catch a glimpse of Nola’s back—resolute with the opinion of a leader and the toughness accumulated from life experience. Although her figure could be described as thin and weak, it gave a sense of reassurance, as if no trouble would be encountered as long as one followed her.

Fia couldn’t help but recall the scene when she first came to this world, being led through the tunnel by Anastasia holding her hand. At that time, Anastasia guided the ignorant Fia forward. Both her resolute back and the warmth from her palm were incredibly reassuring, as if as long as she followed Anastasia, worries and confusion wouldn’t find her.

If Nola were my older sister, maybe I would deliberately act weak and depend on her. Not to tease her, but to seek comfort.

No wonder the people of the Fire Cat Tribe follow Nola, even though Ying is more flexible and intelligent than her. A bitter smile appeared on Fia’s lips. No one disliked standing under the protection of a powerful and responsible leader. Even someone as strong as herself felt this way. If Claire had been more assertive than her, their positions might have been reversed.

Sensing the grip on her hand gradually tightening, Nola, who had already plunged into the clouds, looked back, her purple vertical pupils full of confusion.

“You’re not scared, are you? You’re someone who can completely defeat the Gluttony Demon General and the Demon General of Absolute Death.”

“No. I just suddenly thought that it hasn’t been easy for you. If not for the matter with Claire, I might have respected you very much.”

“Does that mean you don’t respect me now?”

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“I do, but only partially.”

“Hmph.”

Not refuting Fia, Nola turned her head back grumpily.

The two soon landed in the Weeping Mountains. The surrounding thick fog instantly wrapped around them as if it had gained a life of its own. In just a few seconds, they could no longer see the path they came from. The visibility nearby dropped to less than three meters. Even checking if the next step would land on solid ground required a special glance to confirm.

At the same time, the sounds of fighting in the distance became more distinct, seemingly not far from them. The air was incredibly humid, and the grass blades under their feet were covered in dew. The surrounding trees looked like ghosts baring their fangs and brandishing their claws; the pitch-black branches reaching out made one suspect they would attack at any moment. Coupled with the sunlight being unable to penetrate here, and the eerie cold wind brushing past their necks and earlobes from time to time, an invisible fear surrounded them from all directions.

“With fog this thick, it is indeed easy for people to lose their way…”

Fia quietly used [See Through]. As a ghostly blue glow flowed slowly at the corners of her eyes, the thick fog and the noise in her ears instantly receded like a tide. The true appearance of the Weeping Mountains was revealed before her eyes.

“—!”

The stark contrast made her stop breathing. If Fia could feel fear, she would have stopped in her tracks and told Nola not to proceed.

“What now?”

Sensing Fia’s anomaly, Nola, who was leading Fia up the rugged slope, turned around.

Fia quickly returned to normal. She waved her hand, pretending nothing had happened.

“Nothing. Let’s keep going.”

“Tell me if you feel uncomfortable. I’m the Holy Son, so I don’t feel discomfort from this fog. For ordinary people, this cold fog drains their body temperature and reason. If they stay too long, they gradually become crazy and weak. Although I don’t think someone stronger than me like you can’t even last half a day, if you feel unwell, don’t hold it in. There’s no harm in taking a long-term view; it’s better than getting hurt.”

“Nola is really gentle…”

“Don’t praise me with words that give me goosebumps.”

With extreme disgust, Nola raised one eyebrow.

Fia covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

“I’m praising you from the bottom of my heart. Hasn’t anyone around you ever told you that you’re like a big sister?”

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“No one has ever said that. The ‘big sister’ you’re talking about should be women like Anastasia and Erin Slate. I’m far from that. Besides, there’s no one younger than me around me. Even Ying is half a year older than me.”

“Is that so…”

Fia nodded thoughtfully, but her attention was on Nola’s path ahead. A branch was extending out, blocking Nola’s way. Nola raised her Flame Greatsword to cut it, but Fia pulled Nola hard, stopping her action. Nola was naturally displeased.

“What exactly are you doing? If you’re really scared, just say it. You’re younger than me; I won’t laugh at you. Or I can carry you on my back; you look light.”

“Er… that’s not what I meant. Are you saying you must cut this branch?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I just thought, since you’re a princess, letting a branch brush against your face would show poor protection on my part.”

“…Suit yourself then.”

Retracting the hesitation on her face, Fia let go of Nola. Nola repeated her previous action, cutting the branch in two with one stroke.

Although Nola thinking of her made Fia feel even more that Nola was a good person, if possible, she still wished Nola hadn’t cut that so-called branch.

Because it was actually the skeletal arm of a human.

When [See Through] was activated, the originally lush mountain forest turned into a bare, barren, dead land in Fia’s eyes. To use an analogy, it was almost identical to the Wasteland that had fallen into the Primordial Continent, only this place had many things the Wasteland didn’t, and it didn’t possess the characteristic of magical barrenness.

The Weeping Mountains were like an ancient battlefield. The rusty, sandy earth was scattered with corpses and broken armor. The ground was full of rusted spears and broken swords, and there were even traces of large-scale magic left behind.

For example, the valley they saw when they arrived was actually a large crater like a meteorite impact site. Inside the crater were obvious scorch marks and vitrified substances. A little further to their left, there was a deep ravine that looked like it had been carved by a hundred-meter-long greatsword. Just looking at these terrain changes, one could understand that a war of an intensity unimaginable to ordinary people had taken place here—perhaps to a degree that people today could hardly replicate.

As for the thick fog, it was actually a combination of countless translucent ghost phantoms. They gathered in the thousands, like ants smelling something sweet, crazily swarming toward her and Nola. As if sucking life, they greedily bared their fangs and waved their arms, biting at them. Unfortunately, their fate was the same as the Fear Demon General’s: washed away by powerful vitality. Like people splashed with boiling water, they let out sharp screams and vanished.

Nola said people who entered would gradually go mad and weak; it must be these ghosts at work. People’s cognition was tampered with by the illusion magic, unable to see the ghosts and the rusty, desolate battlefield. Consequently, they were unaware they were in danger, only feeling the cold.

It was worth mentioning that Nola was also a living being, but the ghosts, baring their fangs and claws, only surrounded Nola without daring to touch her. There seemed to be some kind of ban here prohibiting them from touching Nola.

Interesting.

If not for the fact that using magic casually would make Nola anxious, Fia would have wanted to use [Fairy’s Protective Umbrella] on the spot to test if healing magic would really send the undead to the afterlife. That said, Fia was already secretly experimenting. [Fairy’s Protective Umbrella] had too large a range and was too bright, easily misunderstood by Nola, but [Beginner Water Healing] was not.

She began to use [Beginner Water Healing] continuously on the surrounding air. The effect was outstanding. Any ghost within a meter of her turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared without even being able to scream. The continuous purification process lasted for a full half-minute before the ghosts, fearlessly rushing toward Fia, finally realized something was wrong.

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They instinctively stopped and no longer approached Fia. But Fia didn’t pretend not to see this. She tried to use [Telekinesis] to pull the ghosts over. To Fia’s surprise, these intangible ghosts couldn’t dodge the grip of [Telekinesis].

Although the ghosts would pass through the [Spatial Hand] if the acceleration of [Telekinesis] was too fast, Fia’s super learning ability allowed her to master the appropriate speed in just a few tries. She formed the [Spatial Hand] into a fishing net, scooping up the ghosts net by net and bringing them in front of her. Then she poured fire—or rather, a basin of water—on them to send them on their way.

It was said that the undead were formed because of strong resentment before death. Such souls couldn’t go to the Kingdom of Death to enter the cycle of reincarnation. She was kind enough to help them pass on; they should be thanking her.

I should give myself the title of Elf Saintess.

The originally boring journey became interesting with the company of ghosts. While letting Nola lead her forward, Fia waved the net formed by spatial power to sweep up ghosts wantonly. Ghosts might be intangible, but [Telekinesis] was fundamentally spatial magic, and pure energy bodies were still subject to the restrictions of spatial magic.

Unfortunately, the happy time only lasted three minutes before Fia’s behavior was discovered by Nola. The latter noticed that the thick fog originally surrounding them was retreating as if it had seen a ghost. Every time she took a step forward, it retreated several steps, forming a cavity nearly a hundred meters in diameter. She looked back at Fia and saw Fia moving as if sowing seeds, constantly sprinkling blue magic light around.

“What are you doing?”

Nola’s tone was full of doubt.

Fia paused for a moment, then revealed a brilliant smile enough to break through dark clouds.

“I’m praying for the souls who died here in the past. Look, this is healing magic.”

“Praying… No wonder the fog around us has decreased so much. I didn’t expect healing magic to reduce the thick fog. I’ll tell the nobles here after we return and have them pass the news down.”

“No… better think it over before telling them. Elves and beastmen can’t be lumped together…”

Only she, with nearly infinite magic power, could squander it like this. If it were an ordinary person who would run out of magic power after using healing magic a few times, they would soon be drowned by ghosts.

Fist against her chin, Nola frowned in thought.

“True. I’ll have to send someone to test it.”

Speaking of this, Nola suddenly turned her head. Her lovely, somewhat tough face suddenly showed some embarrassment. She bit her lip, revealing a determined expression, then stammered.

“Fia, there’s something I haven’t had a chance to tell you, and now there’s finally time. Um… that day when I got drunk, I caused you… caused you trouble. I’m very sorry. I hope, I hope you don’t take it to heart. If you can forget it… No, what should I do to make you forget it? This was indeed my mistake. Just ask, and I’ll do whatever I can.”