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Trial Mountain… We were able to reach the village at the foot of the mountain without any major issues. While there were no stagecoaches available, the road itself was well-maintained, so it was a breeze.
Even from the village to the foot of the mountain, we didn’t face much difficulty. There were only rough paths, slightly better than animal trails, but for me, Tia, and of course, Gou, it wasn’t a problem. And so, standing in front of the entrance to the mountain, we couldn’t help but look up at its towering and mysterious presence.
“Wow, so this is the Trial Mountain…”
After passing through the dense forest, a mountain with only rocky surfaces appeared abruptly. In front of it, there were stone steps seemingly carved by someone, continuing all the way to the top. Even from a distance, it was quite an impressive sight, but up close, its intensity was even more remarkable.
“Huh? Ed, um… Haven’t you been here before?”
“Hmm? Ah, yeah. There are certain conditions to enter here.”
“Conditions?”
Tia tilted her head slightly, and Gou answered before I did.
“That’s right. Didn’t King Alito mention that the seal had been broken recently? It seems that unless that seal is broken, no matter how far you climb these stairs, you won’t be able to proceed.”
“I see. What are the conditions for breaking the seal?”
“Don’t know. I just came to climb the stairs after being told that the seal was broken.”
“I see. Well… that’s just like you, huh?”
“Hahaha! Nothing will come out of you even if you praise me.”
“Hahaha…”
Gou laughed happily, and Tia smiled ambiguously. By the way, the reason I couldn’t come here in the previous loop was because the seal was broken much later, and during that time, I was in a different country and was expelled before reaching here after fulfilling the conditions.
It’s not that I wasn’t interested, and I did have a desire to be of help to Gou… but even so, back then, my strongest desire was “to go back home,” and that took priority.
“Well then, shall we go up?”
“Understood.”
With Gou in the lead, we tightened our vigilance and climbed the steep staircase. And so, after climbing 100, 200 steps, a thick fog began to envelop us unnoticed.
“Such thick fog…”
“This can’t be natural fog, right?”
“Probably not.”
The visibility was only about two meters. If I squinted and focused, I could barely see Gou’s back from my position at the rear, but if I relaxed even slightly, I would lose sight of him.
There was no fog like this when viewed from below, and it’s unlikely that it occurred randomly. As we proceeded with increased caution, the staircase finally came to an end.
“What is this…!?”
“Huh?”
As the two who had reached the top earlier expressed their surprise and confusion, I also crossed the final step. Suddenly, the fog that surrounded us cleared, revealing an expansive plain as far as the eye could see, with a single road appearing before us.
“What on earth is this?”
“Could it be an illusion…? No, then it would mean we’ve been teleported? No, maybe the spatial dimension of this entire area is distorted?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know, but if there’s a road, we should just follow it.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
While there was a possibility of deliberately moving towards the plain, this is still a “trial to obtain the true symbol of a hero,” so it’s best to stick to the straightforward path until we can no longer proceed that way.
So we continued along the road… and suddenly, numerous jars were placed on the path.
“Wow, there are so many jars! We have to break them all!”
“Eh, break them!?”
“Of course! Because I am the hero!”
“Umm… Gou, are you sure about this…?”
Gou enthusiastically broke the jars placed on the road, but his victorious streak didn’t last long.
“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Those jars… I can see them, but I can’t break them.”
“Huh?”
We have been proceeding straight ahead, passing several forks in the road along the way. However, the path has already come to an end just a few meters ahead. Well, when I say “end,” it’s simply an open plain stretching out as usual. Although it doesn’t directly connect, we can see another path on the other side, so it would be easy to continue straight ahead if we wanted to.
There was a single jar placed at the end of the path, with two knee-high wooden fences blocking the way.
“I can’t believe there are wooden fences blocking the way here… we can’t proceed like this.”
“Well, maybe we can just step over them?”
“That’s no good! There are fences blocking the path! If we force our way over, it’s not right, is it!?”
“Uh… Ed?”
“Well, what you’re saying isn’t wrong, but…”
While Tia looked puzzled, I also began to ponder. Normally, I would have adopted Tia’ opinion but if we consider that this is Gou’s trial, it might be better to respect Gou’s opinion.
“Ah, how about throwing stones and breaking the jars from here?”
“That’s not allowed! I have to break the jars with my own hands. It’s the privilege of a hero… Hmm, well, fine. Let’s turn back and take a side path. There might be a way to move these wooden fences.”
“It seems like lifting them up normally would do the trick.”
Gou started to walk back, and Tia muttered softly. I understand her feelings, but I can’t accept that suggestion.
“Hey, Tia. This is Gou-san’s trial, so let’s go along with his decision.”
“…Alright. Let’s regain our composure and move on!”
With Tia, who had regained her smile, in tow, we followed Gou’s lead, turned back on the road, and entered a side path. There, we were met with a labyrinth that twisted and turned.
“Ugh… Gou-san, are you sure about this…?”
“Of course, we continue on the path.”
“I guess so…”
Tia looked exasperated, but Gou started to advance. Fortunately, the destination, which seemed to be the goal, was visible, and since there were no walls, the path itself was fully visible. I couldn’t grasp the entire layout, but compared to when the view was obstructed by walls, the difficulty level was much lower.
“Ugh, we could have just jumped over and bypassed this road in an instant…”
“That’s true, but if they clearly want us to follow the road like this, it’s obvious that going off the road is forbidden. I think it’ll be fine, but make sure not to leave the path, okay?”
“I know that!”
Ignoring my teasing words, Tia puffed up her cheeks. The road was about one meter wide, and since there were no signs of magical beasts or traps so far, there shouldn’t be any problems. However, if we were unexpectedly attacked and involuntarily jumped out of the road… I have no idea what would happen. It would be fine if we were returned to the top of the stairs or the foot of the mountain, but… Yeah, I don’t have the slightest intention to test it. No, I definitely won’t test it…
“Well, they might be just messing with us, making fun of us for walking on the road like idiots, while there’s no problem walking on the plain.”
“Ed, don’t say things like that!”
“Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Oh, Gou-san, please turn right there.”
“Hmm? Why is that?”
“That path leads to the goal. That’s why.”
In the corner of my field of vision, a map that only I can see is displayed. It’s my Banishment Skill [Auto Mapping]… It’s incredibly reliable in times like this.
And in response to my advice, Gou responded with a beaming smile.
“Oh, is that so! Alright then, let’s proceed from any direction other than right.”
“Um, why?”
“There might be pots or treasure chests in the unexplored areas, right? If we know the goal, we can efficiently conquer the paths other than that! I’m counting on you, Ed!”
(T/N: Average Rpg player)
“Uh, sure…”
“Ugh…”
Unexpectedly, Gou enthusiastically responded with an answer, while I let out a somewhat absent-minded voice and Tia expressed a weary voice.