Chapter 22. Calmly move forward one step at a time. (6)
Soooo-
A huge ship moved forward, cutting through the sea water.
Standing on the deck were the vassals who served the Ardante family, including Carlo, Cain, and Sud Knight Commander Hector.
“hmm.”
Cain ran his hand through his red hair blowing in the wind.
“The weather is nice.”
He really enjoyed sailing in the sea around Sud territory like this.
The blue sea that feels refreshing to the heart, the clear sky without a single cloud. Even the unique salty smell of the beach hits your nose.
In addition, there were many islands around here that nobles purchased to build villas, so it was nice to become friends with the nobles who visited here.
“……Whew.”
But I wasn’t in the mood for that now. This was because the boat was not for recreational purposes.
with a splash!
One of the knights dropped a bucket into the sea water and pulled it back up.
“Try dipping your hand in it.”
Arthur, the vassal who manages Perla Island, a major producer of blue pearls and red coral, said.
Cain and Carlo simultaneously reached out and put their hands into the bucket.
“It’s warm.”
“It’s about the temperature of bath water.”
Arthur collected the bucket and placed it on the floor.
“Originally, this is the average water temperature along the coast near the Sud region. But….”
There was concern on his face.
“I will tell you more details when I arrive. It will be quicker to see it with your own eyes.”
Sud Knight Commander Hector, who was standing nearby, nodded and gave orders to those around him.
“Increase your speed!”
The order was given to the oarsmen, and the ship began to move at a faster pace.
At some point, Perla Island, which had appeared as a small dot, became so large that it was almost noticeable to the eye.
“That’s it!”
Cain sighed after checking Perla Island. Similar reactions were happening around him.
“It’s not what I knew….”
“What color is that?”
In the middle of Perla Island, there was a verdant mountain covered in green vegetation.
But now, everyone was greeted by a scene where everyone was dead and dark, as if they had been burned by fire.
The ship carrying the shocked people came to a halt.
Shake!
Everyone hurriedly got off the boat, led by Carlo. He had received reports that something was wrong, but seeing it with his own eyes made him more anxious.
However, not a single ant was visible on the building in front of the dock. All the workers who cleaned and sorted the collected pearls and corals disappeared.
“All personnel working here have been withdrawn.”
As if answering everyone’s questioning gazes, Arthur stepped forward and answered. And she pointed to the beach with her finger.
“Please come this way first.”
As everyone approached the beach, Arthur put a heavy rock in the bucket and threw it into the sea water.
with a splash!
The bucket quickly sank deep into the sea. And then, following Arthur’s touch, it floated back to the surface.
The moment everyone’s eyes were focused on the bucket,
Chi-Ik-
The water in the bucket sizzled and released hot steam.
“Oh my!”
“why?”
Everyone looked at the water with shocked faces.
“As you can see, the water temperature in the deep sea around the island has become abnormally high.”
“That means pearls and corals too….”
Carlo muttered with a somber expression.
“Yes, it is.”
Nelson took something out of his arms.
“It is difficult for pearls and corals to survive in these high temperatures.”
What he took out were the miserably melted remains of pearls and coral.
“Workers who dived deep to collect were unable to survive and had to return with burns.”
“Is that why the workers were withdrawn?”
Arthur bit his lip in response to Carlo’s question.
“That’s not the only reason.”
His finger pointed towards the mountain rising high in the middle of Perla Island.
“Originally, this mountain was the most active volcano in the empire, but it has now ceased activity and has become dormant.”
Everyone focused on Arthur’s words with serious faces.
“We stopped collecting and tried to find the cause of this situation. But at some point, strange words began to circulate among the workers.”
Arthur’s voice lowered as if he was whispering a ghost story.
“It is said that someone’s voice can be heard from within that mountain.”
“voice?”
“It is said to be an unknown voice, neither a man nor a woman, nor an old man nor a child.”
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Arthur said, frowning.
“Actually, one of the workers said something like that a few months ago, but I just passed it off as an auditory hallucination.”
“…….”
“But as the recent situation unfolded, many people began to complain of the same phenomenon at once.”
The mood of the people subsided as if ice water had been poured over their heads.
“Some people showed abnormal symptoms, such as trying to dig into the mountain, so we had no choice but to withdraw the workers. At the same time, we had no choice but to stop investigation activities.”
Arthur knelt deeply and bowed his head to Carlo.
“I just apologize for making you come all the way here. However, an unprecedented situation is happening that we cannot possibly resolve on our own.”
Arthur’s trembling fingers pointed toward the mountain.
“There is something inside that mountain.”
His words implied that there were non-human beings in the mountains.
“That may be the cause of this incident.”
❖ ❖ ❖
The sun began to slowly set over the ridge.
“Power stop!”
As Mikel raised his hand, his adjutant shouted loudly. The rider who received the command waved the flag to draw a specific shape.
“Power stop!”
“Stop!”
The same cry was heard from each knightly order that read the movement of the flag. Eventually, all the knights slowly came to a halt.
Mikel moved his head to the side and looked at the whole thing. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“I think it would be a good idea for everyone to take a break around here.”
People were covered in sweat, dust, and sand. Everyone looked at each other with tired faces.
Pajik!
Sparks flew from each other’s eyes, and Joshua, the commander of the Imperial Palace Knights, opened his mouth.
“Our knights are still relaxed.”
“It’s the same. I can still run for a while longer.”
Not to be outdone, other knights also showed their pride.
“It’s nice to see everyone’s courage.”
Mikel opened his mouth with a friendly smile.
“There’s no need to push yourself from day one. There’s still a long way to go.”
Although his tone was soft, it contained an unstoppable power.
“We will stay in the forest next to here today. Everyone, please start preparing for camp.”
The representatives of each knight group glanced at each other, then turned around.
“Start preparing for camp!”
As they turned around, it was clear that they were very relieved at this situation. Even though they said that, everyone was quite tired.
“With bluffs.”
He chuckled and looked at Conrad. Conrad, understanding the meaning, bowed his head deeply.
“Everybody get started!”
At his shout, the knights hurriedly dismounted from their horses and began preparing for camp.
The way they each did their jobs without making a single noise was compared to other knights.
“No, who is in charge of the supplies? They weren’t tied properly so it all spilled out!”
“Didn’t Aaron check that earlier?”
Confusion caused by poor division of roles.
“Aren’t you supposed to wash potatoes after peeling them?”
“What if I cut it all into small pieces…?”
A problem that arises because you have never cooked before.
“What if we drive a stake there!”
“Hold on tight to both sides of the tent!”
Even the confusion that comes from not even opening the camping tent even once.
In a peaceful territory with almost no monster attacks, the sight of the knights who were busy sparring among themselves was truly miserable.
They had never done anything like cooking or setting up a tent.
This was because their servants and servants residing on the estate were responsible for such ‘menial’ work.
On the other hand.
“I washed all the vegetables. I’ll leave them here.”
“The fire is weak, so bring more firewood.”
At the camp of our knights, the preparation of ingredients was quickly completed,
“The tent installation has been completed. We also installed a waterproof screen to protect against early morning dew.”
“I will also decide on the order of the night watch.”
In an instant, the stakes were driven in and the tent was spread out. It didn’t end there, and he diligently walked around looking for other things to do.
“Huh, really.”
Mikel, who had already come to my side, let out a groan of admiration.
“It looks like there’s nothing I can do to help.”
Since I already knew he was coming, I wasn’t surprised and smiled at him.
“Is the Nord Knights over already?”
“I believe they will do well on their own, and I am looking around to see if other knights are doing well.”
Mikel’s eyes were round.
“Currently, only the Ovest Knights are fully prepared to set up tents and camp. Other places are still wandering or have not even started.”
It was a quiet tone, but it contained a feeling of pity for the knights who had lived a lazy life and were now in trouble.
“So he was going around giving advice. It must have been help that Prince Abel’s knights didn’t need.”
“I will accept your wishes. Thank you.”
Mikel smiled and waved his hand.
“Then I guess I’ll have to go help somewhere else. I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat on time.”
“It will be over by today.”
“I plan to hold a meeting once the meal is over. See you then.”
“See you later.”
After sending Mikel away, Conrad, who had been waiting, approached.
“The meal is ready.”
“already?”
“Yes. Please come this way.”
As I followed Conrad, I saw members already sitting in a circle around the campfire.
Everyone was holding dishes, wiping the saliva from their mouths, and staring intently at the pot placed on the bonfire.
“This is Master Abel.”
Then someone muttered,
chuck!
Everyone straightened their posture as if they had been drooling for some time. The speed of change of stance was literally like lightning.
“I am currently putting the master’s meal in order to put it separately in the tent.”
The food manager waiting in front of the pot said. I shook my head and held out my hand.
“There’s no need for that. We’re going to eat here.”
“yes?”
“Give it to me quickly. I’m hungry.”
The food manager hesitated for a moment, but when I gave him a look, he hurriedly finished serving the food. He said, holding out a full bowl to me.
“Thanks to you, I used plenty of meat ingredients, so I was able to make a lot of food.”
“hmm.”
Just as he said, my bowl was truly full of high-quality meat.
“Good work.”
The food manager’s face lit up as he greeted me with a faint smile.
“Okay, thank you.”
He breathed a sigh of relief, and after me, Conrad and the other members also received their food rations.
“…….”
The other knights around us looked at us with envy as we already received our food and sat down.
“Hurry up and join us.”
The members, who watched for a moment, were soon unable to hold back their hunger and rushed to the food.
“There are so many pieces of meat in the stew….”
“I’ve never had a stew with such a thick broth.”
“Oh my… I never thought I would have such a hearty meal while camping.”
While everyone was greedily emptying their bowls, half in admiration and half in tears,
“Are you okay, master?”
Conrad looked at me sitting on the grass and asked worriedly.
“There are chairs and tables in the tent. It would be better to eat there….”
“I would have said it wasn’t necessary.”
He said, tapping the bowl with his spoon.
“I didn’t come here to be treated like a master who needs to be looked after.”
He raised his finger and pointed to other successors in the distance.
“Is this the way to do it? Why not?”
“Oh, what are you telling me to do with this?”
They were struggling and getting help from other knights.
“You don’t think of me the same way as those idiots, do you?”
When I looked back at Conrad with a wry smile, he hurriedly waved his hand.
“No. Is that possible?”
fantasy,
