115 One Setback After Another

"So you young ones came from Plate Town, huh? I've never met someone from that place before. You must be used to the very hot weather then?"

"That's not necessarily the case, ma'am. Even though we're currently living in Plate Town the heat can also be too much for us, especially in the summer. Hehe..."

Inside a small trading post in the middle of nowhere where we stopped for a moment, an old lady manning the counter expressed her fascination upon hearing the place where we came from. The lady, who is the owner of the establishment, claimed that she has never in her life stepped anywhere further south of Silmun, so her reaction—and the stereotyping—was somewhat understandable.

"If you're tired of living in such a dry, hot place, you would surely love to stay here in the north," the lady spoke. "The weather's nice for most of the year, with plenty of rain at times. The winters here are brutal, though, but you'll get used to it in no time. If you're planning to move here, I know someone who can help you with all the necessary paperwork."

"Ah. My apologies, ma'am, but I don't see any need for us to move anytime soon," I politely declined her offer.

Though I said that, we can't just stay in Sandy Fish for a very long time, despite the siblings being so accommodating for us. Sooner or later we'll have to find a new place where we could use it as a base for our operations, which makes her offer more appealing in the future.

"That's...regrettable," the old lady sighed. "Anyway, where was I again? Oh, right—you've been waiting for me to tally the things you've bought. I'm so sorry, young man. Hmm, let's see..."

As she glanced down at the things I've bought, her face instantly changed into that of a menacing grin. Panicked, I fervently shook my head as I spoke:

"T-That's not it! Don't misunderstand! Y-You see..."

"Oh, you don't have to worry, young man," the old lady let out a hearty laugh. "I've seen those girls a while ago. You have that beautiful lady as one of your companions, right? From the looks of it, she must've forgotten about her 'schedule', that's why I don't blame you if you're feeling pressured because of how urgent her matter is. There's no other customer here right now, so you can calm down a bit."

The old lady then patted my shoulder, which caused me to unconsciously loosen up and exhale deeply. I've told myself earlier, 'Why should I be ashamed? It's not that what I'm doing is a great crime, right?' and yet, my heart's beating like crazy. I've done more embarrassing things than this, so why is this still getting into my nerves?!

"Wait here, young man, let me get something for a moment," the lady said as she left the counter. Not too long thereafter, she returned with another pack of napkins. "Sorry for waiting again, young man. I'll give you this for free because you've impressed me considering it's quite a rarity these days for a man to buy these things for a lady."

"U-Uhh...isn't this too..."

"Also, you can have these as well," she said as she shoved a box of sweets into my hands. "During this time you mustn't get into her bad side, so you must do everything to make she that she won't unleash hell on everyone—especially you. At the same time, that little girl could also enjoy these treats, so all the more reasons why you should take it."

"Ma'am, this is really..." at first I tried to refuse her offerings, but after thinking how bad it might be for Lerish's mood to go nuts beyond my control, I relented and expressed my gratitude instead.

"I...I-I'll try to be more careful around her."

"Yes, yes, you should."

As I head for the exit after I paid for the things I've bought, the last waved her hand and said, "Good luck, young man. I hope that you'll be able to win that lady's heart someday."

"H-Huh?!"

"Oh, never mind," she said, as she resumed reading her book.

Though still baffled with what she said, I decided not to dwell too much about it and immediately went back to the carriage.

"...Took you so long, big brother. Did something wrong happened?" Aoi said as she sat on the carriage's roof, waiting.

"Not much. I only got weird stares from the owner but it's no big deal,"

"W-Weh?! Uuuuuu..."

When I looked at Lerish, she's been acting fidgety—either because of embarrassment or due to the discomfort she's having right now while sitting. It all started a few hours after our encounter with Boar Guy when she started to feel something strange in her body. She went somewhere for a moment to check and when she returned, she only said to us:

'I...must have not taken that time of the month into consideration...'

After that, our seemingly 'normal' trip became chaotic, as we're not prepared to deal with such a thing. Lerish didn't have her supplies either, because she assumed that it'll come next week and not today.

Well, even she has some hiccups when it comes to planning, I guess.

"For causing such great inconvenience to you...I am sorry."

"Nah, don't say it. What's more important for me is your well-being," I waved my hand. "I don't have a way to know what you're feeling, so this is the least I could do for you."

Still embarrassed, Lerish could only force a smile as she said, "Nn. I greatly appreciate your assistance."

While Lerish is away, Aoi jumped down the roof of the carriage while asking:

"...Big brother, I don't understand what's going on with her. She said it's a ' thing, is that true?"

"Aoi..." I patted her head and said, "there are things in this world that I can't fully comprehend—girls being one of them. I don't know if I can explain it properly, so it's better if we leave that discussion for later. Is that okay with you?"

Sulking for a bit, she replied, "...Muuuu, even though I want to know more about it, but...I get your point. I'll go ask Lerish later instead."

"Good, good."

Having escaped such a risky topic, I looked up at the sky and sighed. I wonder, do gods also experience changes in their bodies like a normal human could? I'm not sure, and at this point, I'm afraid to find out.

-----

After a day of dealing with Lerish's problems, we are almost at our destination. At about a kilometer above sea level, the temperatures here have started to become significantly colder, hence I made Aoi change her clothes into one that has sleeves.

"...Look, big brother! There's smoke coming out of my mouth whenever I breathe! Whooooooh!" Aoi exclaimed, pretending to be a dragon or something.

"Aghk! Your breath stinks, Aoi! Stop it!" I said as I pinched my nose.

Angrily, she began hitting me furiously with her small fists.

"...Lies! Lies! What are you saying, big brother?! There's no way my breath is stinky!"

"Hehe, just kidding. Just kidding..."

Meanwhile, Lerish, who's been in control of the carriage ever since the journey began, looked quite in a disquieted state, her eyebrows furrowing for a while now.

"Lerish, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?" I asked.

"N-No, I am alright," she replied. "It is just that I noticed that the fog surrounding us is heavier as compared to last year. I am having some difficulty seeing the road ahead of us..."

"Indeed, that might be a problem for us," I squinted, also trying to figure out where we're going.

Since fog is usually made up of water vapor I can use the [Magician] Arcana to condense all those particles into a single spot, and then dump them all somewhere else, preferably the ground. However, I'm worried that doing so might cause the soft mountain soil to become even softer as it turns to mud, therefore creating a landslide that might affect those who are below. Lowering its temperature and turning it into frost is no good either, as people aren't prepared to see their surroundings become white when it isn't the right time for that yet.

I also have the option to use the [Fool] to absorb as much water vapor as I can but I'm still on the fence about it because I still don't have an idea how large is the Arcana's maximum capacity. Should I go over that limit, what would happen next? Will everything burst out of my palm and ravage everything in its path, or will it implode on itself? Either way, I—and everyone around me—will be in deep trouble if ever the Arcana goes out of control.

Hrgh...this is so frustrating. What's the use of having these Arcanas if I can't even use them?! What should I do instead?!

"...Ahahahahaha! You look like a fountain, big brother! Ahahahahahahaha!!!" Aoi rolled on her seat laughing as she watched me T-pose on the roof of the carriage.

"H-Hnnghhk..."

"..."

In the end, I decided to use both Arcanas at the same time, making use of the [Fool] in my left hand to absorb fog, and the [Magician] on the other as an outlet for the absorbed water to flow slowly outside my system. As a consequence I looked stupid in the eyes of the Aoi, who's currently having her fill of 'the funnies' for the entire month. Even Lerish, who's not the type of person who mocks other people, struggle to contain her laughter as she tried not to look in my general direction.

Calm down, Ren. It's not the first time you've embarrassed yourself in front of a girl anyway so this should be nothing for you, right?

In the end, despite my efforts, the prospect of clearing the fog this way is too taxing for me if not counterproductive, especially if you're doing it nonstop for almost an hour. I'll give up for now, but once we get onto the level ground I'll disperse this fog in one fell swoop.

"I am afraid that we have to slow down for the meantime," Lerish spoke. "With the fog becoming so heavy, we might fall off the cliff if we make one wrong step."

"And I'm starting to wonder why is there no warning devices in this area if this is a common occurrence here. There are no torches lit up either, so it's up to ourselves to light our way instead," I lamented.

Lerish frowned upon hearing what I said. She knows that things like that are done by public officials, and being one of them made her think that she's not doing a good job in making these roads safe. It seems that I must've offended her or something.

"S-Sorry, it's not my intention to put it that way, Lerish."

"I often take constructive criticisms with high regard, hence there is no need for you to feel sorry," she said in a lighthearted manner. "Rest assured, Ren, I will do what I can to resolve this problem sooner."

Meanwhile, Aoi darted around with an anxious look on her face as she spoke, "...W-Well, that's good and all...but what are you gonna do about that guy who's following us for a while now?"

""Eh?""

Only when she mentioned it that I started to realize we've been tailed for some time now. With heightened senses, I checked if Boar Guy is the one for following us, but this faint presence I'm sensing is different from that guy.

"Iyaa, you shouldn't look at me like that," a man appeared from the fog, wearing the same clothes like that of Boar Guy but with a tiger mask on his face instead. "Also, I'm not following you lads: rather, I'm stalking someone else other than you."

"W-What...?"

At that moment, we felt another strange presence coming at us. For a moment the winds started to blow to our right, bringing along some of the fog. Then, all that fog coagulated into a mess, and quickly materialized into an eerily-looking knight in black, riding on his steed made up of fog and bones. His aura gave off a chilly feeling, especially as blue mist oozes out of his helmet.

"See? It just so happened that you lads are here that it appears that I'm following you," Tiger Guy spoke. "But now that I realized it, isn't that little brat the one they call as the Death Goddess? Man, what luck! I never expected to see the day I'll get to hunt two gods at the same time!"

By two gods, you mean that...

I looked once more at the eerie knight and before I noticed it, he has already drawn his sword. His sword, about three or four meters long, is a huge greatsword made with various bones and teeth, extracted possibly from the monsters he had defeated before. This sword exuded a visible purplish-blue aura, fusing with the fog around it. The knight raised it for a moment, before pointing it towards Aoi's throat.

"Oh, oh, oh! Seems like that guy is also eager to hunt the Death Goddess!" Tiger Guy exclaimed. "As for the two of you, I'd recommend backing off, because I don't want to see you lads getting involved in such a pickle as this. Leave the girl alone, and I'll let you and your charming lady live happily ever after."

"Suck it!" I replied.

"You do realize the gravity of the situation you're in, no? What you're doing is a mistake," he asked, baffled by my response.

"Then so be it. I'd rather go wrong than hand over Aoi to both of you."

"Aha, what a valiant lad! Sadly, I don't tolerate mistakes. I'll hunt you lads first, then I'll use your blood to mark my way while finding the tower."

"Y-You are...looking for the tower, too?" Lerish asked.

"Why yes, my lady. Even that guy is aiming for the same thing too. I don't know why, but even the gods have their eyes on whatever is inside that tower."

When he said that, I realized that what Boar Guy has said before was right. These two guys are indeed dangerous, now that we get to see them.

If we were to fight them at the same time...could we even stand a chance? Think, Ren, think! Do something about this situation...ah—

"If that's the case...how about I propose to you guys a race to find the tower?" I suggested.

"A race?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "No weapons, no destructive powers—just pure speed. You can use abilities, but only to disrupt the opponent's movement. The winner will be decided if he finds the tower first."

"...Big brother? What are you saying—"

"Shh, let me handle this one," I said to Aoi, then continued, "however, since it's clear that we are at a disadvantage I believe that we should get a head start—if that's alright with you, that is."

Right now, I can't think of any alternative to a confrontation other than this. If they disagree with my proposal, we have no choice but to fight both sides.

As I'm about to steel myself for the battle ahead, Tiger Guy said...

"No problem with me. I'll play your game."

"..."

Even the eerie knight seem to see no objections to my proposal as his sword started to return to mist.

"That's...great. Well then, let's decide when shall we..."

"Wait a minute, we still haven't decided yet on the prize!" Tiger Guy complained.

"Hm? Isn't that already obvious to you?" I retorted.

"...Eh?! Wai—"

Carrying my sister in my arms, I made it clear to everyone that I'm serious about this matter.

"Whoever wins the race...shall have my sister's head as the prize."