We reach the foot of the mountain, where we have to pick between two routes.
One means continuing on with the wagon.
We can go up without walking, but since the wagon can’t go up steep slopes, that means we have to zig-zag a lot as we follow gentler paths.
The other means going up on foot. This is the way to go directly to the top.
As for which one is faster, it depends on the strength of the horses pulling the wagons, and the strength of the people walking up the mountain.
Still, despite this being the shortest route to go from Elesya to Efa, few people use it. That’s why Elesya chose to send Naoto and the others to Efa through here, to keep them a secret.
The only reasons why we picked this route this time were just that we’ve never been here, and because Kotori and the others said the bird dishes in Yuan are tasty.
We already confirmed that in Helia.
“We reached the foot of the mountain. Where to now?”
“I’m sure Sora wants to walk, right?”
Asks Mia, and I nod.
I don’t get tired from walking, and I don’t think it would make that big of a difference.
Even if we don’t stop to rest if we go by golem wagon, there are too many sharp curves, so we can’t really go that fast.
“I think we prefer the wagon.”
Says Chris while looking at Rurika.
Rurika doesn’t like wagons that shake too much, but she still prefers it over walking up steep mountain paths.
“Is master going to be okay alone?”
“Hn, I’m concerned too, but we know where he is, so I think it’s fine. And Hikari, you can tell how he’s doing even if he’s away, right?”
“Yes, I’ll know if there’s something weird around him.”
As far as I can see on Map, there aren’t any reactions of monsters, or people for that matter. We heard that sometimes bird monsters appear, but I think it’s more likely they’ll target the wagon and not me, because the path where people have to walk has trees around it.
On the flipside, having many trees also makes it more difficult to see monsters approaching on foot, so while there are still a lot of branches and leaves high up, the ones closer to the ground are trimmed off.
“Let’s go then. Worst case scenario, we’ll meet up again in the mountain town.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Sera takes the reins, and the wagon runs off.
If there are no problems, it should be possible to reach the top in two days. That’s at a regular wagon’s speed, so if they keep running through the night, they could very well reach it in one.
After seeing the wagon gradually increase its speed, and step onto the trail.
It’s definitely not a properly serviced path, but people used it before there was a path for wagons. Actually, I hear people from the mountain town still use it if they’re not traveling by wagon.
Because of that, the ground is hard, and surprisingly not lumpy.
The only issue is that there are many fallen leaves, which I think would make the ground slippery if it rained.
The inclination is pretty steep, so I have to take a forward leaning posture as I go up.
I take a big breath, and the scent of fresh verdure fills my lungs.
No matter how steep it gets, I won’t get tired or have trouble walking, but it feels lonely. I’m used to traveling with a lot of people around me.
Still, I decided to do this because ever since I got the wagon and Transfer, I haven’t had that many chances to walk.
I look at Map from time to time and check the position of the wagon, but it looks like it’s going a lot slower compared to how it was at the start, especially after lunch.
I guess it’s easier to get sick in a vehicle after eating.
I made it so the wagon doesn’t shake a lot, but it’s impossible to cancel it out completely on a mountain road.
I checked the ground over on the wagon side before, and it looked to be in a worse condition compared to the walking path.
It’s not all bad, but there were wheel marks, and big bumps and holes.
I assume it’s not easy to do road repair in this world.
Ah, or could it be that they hire people who can use earth magic to do it?
I think the golem will be careful about that, so it should be fine.
And even if they break a wheel, I’m sure that group will manage.
I think about that as I enjoy walking among this greenery, and time passes fast.
The sun is almost setting, and while I could keep going with the help of my skills, I think I need to take a break, because I can see on Map that the wagon stopped on the mountainside.
“Master, let’s eat.”
Is the first thing and only thing Hikari says after I go over a hill and reach them.
“You would probably keep walking all night if you were alone.”
Says Mia.
Apparently that’s why they stopped to camp here.
Also, the golem can work on its own, but they are still a little worried about riding a wagon through a mountain road at night.
But it doesn’t matter, because I’m happy that I get to eat with everyone.
I’ll just walk by myself tomorrow again, and take it easy today.
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