Apostle of the Void

Chapter 37: In the Red Mountain Range (1)

The purple city of Aurelinople sits at the heart of the point where the Red Mountain Range splits.

The North Gate, East Gate, and West Gate…

Whichever gate you leave from, if you hurry, you can reach the foothills of the mountain range within a day.

This time, Yuz chose the North Gate.

She explained that the investigation team from the Witch Association had headed north.

The group, tasked with escorting Yuz, made their way toward the foothills of the Red Mountain Range.

Since they avoided using a carriage to guard against monster attacks, it took them a full day and a half on foot.

Though there were some monster attacks during that time, this area was well-protected by witches and swarming with adventurers, so they encountered no real threats.

Finally, they reached the Red Mountain Range.

“Wow, it’s hot…”

Arzen fanned himself as he gazed up at the majestic peaks of the Red Mountain Range.

The heat here felt similar to that of the distant continent of Adrion, intense and scorching.

Yuz explained, “This range was created as a flame to suppress the ancient abyss. It’s still burning, consuming the abyss with eternal flames. It’s a sacred heat.”

As the patrol contractors had mentioned, the area around the Red Mountain Range was teeming with adventurers.

Where adventurers gather, money follows.

Merchants, seeing this as an opportunity, had come laden with potions. Alchemists, hardware shops selling various tools, blacksmiths repairing armor, and tanners were all here as well.

Naturally, the prices were outrageous, like being hit over the head with a stick multiple times compared to the city.

But that’s the price unprepared fools have to pay.

“Hey.”

Sia called out to an adventurer passing by.

“Huh?”

The adventurer answered aggressively.

Sia, eyes narrowing, grabbed him by the collar.

“You, a bronze-level grunt, have the nerve to look at me like that? Do you want to die?”

Such authority!

The adventurer shrank back, likely intimidated by the aura emanating from Sia’s arm.

His companion urgently nudged him in the side.

“Hey, lower your gaze! Can’t you see that short, dark red hair and the Executioner’s Sword?”

The adventurer immediately became docile.

It seemed Sia had made quite a name for herself in this area.

Even among silver-ranked adventurers, only a few at the top displayed similar prowess, a sight commonly seen even across the sea on the continent of Adrion.

“I heard the Witch Association’s investigation team is here. Do you know where they are?”

“Oh, if you mean them… head up a bit further, and you’ll find them. The witches don’t seem to want to mingle with adventurers like us.”

“Over there? Got it. Hey, let’s go!”

*The Priestess of the Heavenly Star, Serna, stood out even from her attire, which was far more distinguished than that of ordinary witches.

You could recognize her as a Priestess just by her clothes.

Is it because of the extravagant embellishments?

‘Of course, that’s part of it, but I would’ve known even if it wasn’t there.’

Even among the finest silks, there are grades, and the gap between each grade is immense!

Her appearance radiated an imposing dignity, much more so than the Grand Witch seen in Karshiko.

Such a person was warmly welcoming Yuz.

“Master!”

“Yuz! What brings you all the way here?”

“I have something urgent to discuss. It’s really important.”

At this, the Priestess\'s previously kind expression turned very serious.

“Which one is it?”

“Pardon?”

“Between the two of them. Which one? They’re both cute, just my type. Didn’t you bring them here to ask me to officiate a wedding?”

“What are you talking about?! Please stop with the strange comments. We’re dealing with a ridiculously urgent situation here!”

“Hahaha. You’re still too inexperienced, Yuz, if you get flustered by such a small joke.”

* * *

Inside the tent, after hearing the whole story from Yuz, Priestess Serna’s face grew even more grim.

“The Void was breached, and an Elder Goblin emerged?”

“Yes. And in the process, a member of the Zerenion Squad died, and the sealing circle was broken. We need to relay this information to His Excellency, one of the Three Dragon Lords, as soon as possible.”

“This is highly unusual.”

Priestess Serna was wrapping the Void Seal with layers of sacred sealing scrolls.

“Zerenion members are the most elite of the Dark Elf followers. There’s no way they would fall to a mere King Goblin.”

“What are you saying…?”

“Someone drove this seal in. You mentioned the body was crushed under the King Goblin, right? That was surely to cover their tracks.”

A chill ran down Yuz’s spine. It took her some time to suppress the trembling in her voice.

“I thought finding you would help clarify things, but now it feels like the situation is becoming even more complicated…”

“No, you’ve come to the right place. But this is beyond something I can leisurely analyze.”

“But Master, you’re the greatest Witch and Priestess in the Northern Republic. How could you say ‘beyond me’?”

“That’s why it’s frightening. Even I, who have such a title, am feeling my blood run cold from the overwhelming power within this Void Seal.”

Serna was the disciple of Yuliana.

Yuliana lived during the reign of the Dragon Lord and resolved countless global calamities alongside him.

Naturally, Serna had been taught by her master about the true danger of the Void\'s powers.

“What should we do?”

“The power of the Void can drive beasts into a frenzy. Especially with such an overwhelming force… From here on, you’ll come with me to the Papal Court.”

“You mean to see His Excellency Raihyang?”

“Yes. The Papal Court is the closest from here.”

“The adventurers I brought with me— all four of them are very skilled.”

“This is not a matter we can leave in the hands of adventurers. I’ll have to bring most of the witches here with me.”

“If only the witches are going, we can take broomsticks straight over the mountains. It would be much faster than traveling by sea.”

At Yuz’s words, Serna shook her head.

“No, the air currents around the Red Mountain Range are unstable. Broomstick flight is practically impossible.”

“Air currents? Master, I’m no longer at the level where such winds would affect my flight.”

“I misspoke. It’s not the physical currents—it’s the flow of spiritual energy. The natural energies we use for magic have become severely corrupted.”

“How could that happen…?”

“For now, we’ll return to Aurelinople, then travel by boat to Tervenople. It’s the only viable route.”

“Master, about those adventurers… I owe them a lot, and I think you should handle the payment.”

The paper Serna received was an invoice written by Sia.

It detailed various reasons and demanded a payment of 4 gold coins and equivalent contributions.

"4 gold coins? That’s quite a lot. I hope you’re not falling for those cute kids?"

"No, no! They’re not my type at all. I don’t even like the party leader... but all four of them are definitely skilled."

"Really?"

"Yes, really! If it weren\'t for those adventurers, I wouldn\'t have made it this far."

"I see. I can approve the payment of 4 gold coins right here and now at my discretion."

Serna clapped her hands to summon her disciple.

She looked to be in her mid-teens and was a junior to Yuz.

The girl bowed deeply to Yuz and soon brought back 4 gold coins as instructed by Serna.

"As for the contributions, since the guild\'s branch is here, just settle that there."

"Thank you."

"I need to finish preparing for the journey. In the meantime, you should say goodbye to those adventurers."

Yuz took the gold coins and stepped outside the tent.

The adventurer party was giggling over trivial topics when Yuz waved to them.

Not wanting anyone to snatch the coins away, Yuz handed each of them a gold coin.

"What’s this? Are you trying to bribe us?"

Sia asked incredulously, to which Yuz sighed.

"You adventurers will secretly kill someone if you have money. I’m worried, that’s why."

When Kitan tried to bite the gold coin, Yuz covered his mouth with her hand.

"No, Kitan! You only do that with pure gold."

"Huh?"

"And doing that would lower the value of pure gold. More importantly, coins, no matter the material, are full of germs! Never do that. It\'s not good for you."

"Ugh... okay."

"And this is the last one. Arzen, especially you, I received a lot of help."

"Oh?"

"If I had the authority, I’d like to give you more rewards, but... it wouldn’t be fair, and I\'m not part of the guild."

Arzen quickly tucked the gold coin Yuz handed him into his money pouch.

"One gold coin! One gold coin is worth 100 silver coins!"

This meant that it was the amount a laborer would have to save up without spending a single penny for 100 days.

"To earn that much money in less than ten days... being an adventurer is definitely the quickest way to get rich!"

Arzen swallowed hard but maintained a serious smile.

"I didn’t do this for the reward, Lady Witch."

"Then would you like to return it?"

"However, if it really bothers you, I could write a few lines about my performance, and I can take that to the branch as proof."

Yuz sighed, unable to scold Arzen, and playfully poked his forehead with her index finger.

"Don’t get too greedy, or you’ll end up in hell. Well then, everyone, thank you. Goodbye."

---

Having settled the payment, there was no longer any need to stay in this place.

All the party members were excitedly discussing what to buy and what to eat.

"I want to try all the delicacies from <Aurelinople>!"

"Idiot! All food is basically the same. Don’t waste money on weird stuff; buy good equipment instead."

"With this money, I could upgrade my Gatling gun quite a bit."

At that moment, a red witch called out to them.

"Wait. I heard from Yuz that all four of you are quite skilled... How about taking on a named request?"

Sia immediately stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow.

"A named request? What’s the rank?"

"It\'s against kobolds. The branch generally rates them between 10 and 11."

"Only 10 to 11? Are you kidding? That’s not impressive. When we return to <Aurelinople>, there are plenty of requests rated 6 to 8."

"There is a way to adjust the payment... but right now, we\'re short on personnel since the priestess left with twenty witches. We can accommodate you to some extent."

The witch wore a troubled expression.

Sia seemed to smile as if she had been caught, but then she shook her head.

"No, thinking it over, I\'m not really interested."

Arzen asked, "Why not?"

"Kobolds are small creatures that dig holes deep into the ground, right?"

"But you handled goblins just fine."

"That’s different from using a human-made tunnel that they modify."

"Is it?"

"They do wander outside, but kobolds are truly only in the tunnels. It would be difficult to wield my executioner\'s sword properly in there."

Sia especially noted the lack of any reaction from her right arm.

‘That means it’s not that impressive.’

Jerome nodded in agreement.

"My Gatling gun is the same. The risk of ricochet is too high."

"Moreover, <Aurelinople> is a major city. It\'s true that this place is hot right now, but looking at the majority being brass rank, the request difficulty and rewards don’t seem that high."

"I’m getting a bit tired of finding my way in the dark! Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem with Arzen around, haha!"

Arzen crossed his arms.

These guys seemed to think about getting better requests when they returned to <Aurelinople>.

It would be best to roll with it as long as they could.

‘Hmm?’

At that moment, the Void Grimoire hanging from her waist began to emit a heavy light.

Not only light but a feeling of weight as well.

‘What’s going on? Is it telling me to stay here?’

She had experienced something similar not long ago.

At Lake of the Golden Realm.

Back then, her work bee had reacted this way, but now, without the work bee summoned, it felt like the grimoire was responding instead.

‘To grow... this must be the right place.’

If that’s the case, then the conclusion I, a future Diamond rank, should reach is already decided!

There must be a foundation for Arzen’s growth here as well.

Therefore, she said, "I’ll stay. My abilities are well suited for these dark caves."

The bonds of adventurers that come together and break apart according to mutual interests are inherently fleeting.

There’s a reason why famous parties do all sorts of tricks to recruit promising talents.

Still, the man Arzen wouldn\'t beg or act pitifully trying to persuade those who wanted to leave.

‘Remember, you’re the ones who should feel regret and try to hold onto me! Let’s recognize this hierarchy right here and now!’

At that, Kitan\'s eyes widened.

"What? Then I want to stay too!"

As Arzen was about to nod in satisfaction, Sia grabbed Kitan by the back of his neck.

"You should be the pathfinder for our party; what’s left for you? Besides, kobolds don’t even set traps, so you won’t have much to do here except memorize the tunnel routes."

"Ugh…."

"Then, Arzen, let’s form a party again if we get the chance later. I feel like I’ll be seeing you often."

Following Sia, Jerome also turned his back.

"Yeah, see you next time, Arzen. Oh, and next time, try to change that rookie-smelling steel tag."

"Arzeeeeeeeeen~ I don’t want to say goodbye~~~~~~~~!"

Kitan flailed as he was dragged away.

Aside from him, Sia\'s party left far too coolly.

Watching their retreating figures, Arzen felt a moment of confusion.

‘Wow, no matter how you look at it, isn’t this a bit too decisive?’

No matter what? Hmm?

‘I was prepared to catch them a couple of times and completely ignore the work bee\'s reaction!’

Not that he’d kneel and beg?

He just wanted them to say, “Let’s go together,” and he would’ve pretended to think it over before following them.

‘I’m hurt...’

Both his pride and dignity as a noble adventurer!

‘For offending my feelings... What was it again? Some kind of punishment, right? Yeah, I’ll impose the punishment of never forming a party with you again!’

But if they turn around now and apologize, he might let it slide. If they hang onto his pants, he might forgive them.

‘I’ll give you exactly three more seconds. 3, 2, 1... Alright, is that how it’s going to be? Hmph! I’m upset too!’

Anyway, he needed time to train alone with the power of the Void for a while, so this actually worked out well.

‘Starting with slimes and working in dark places feels a bit annoying, though…!’

In fact, having that burden lifted felt incredibly refreshing.

‘No, this is really a good thing!’

It truly feels great, right? He’s definitely not disappointed or gloomy at all!