Chapter 111: The Witch’s Hut

"…A witch?"

I've never heard of a witch in the Silver Mountains. I looked at Khalid with a puzzled expression. Of course, Khalid didn't look like someone who would lie. He frowned and then scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, it's not a well-known story. People who enter the witch's hut never return, so they can't spread the rumor."

"Then, what about you, Sir Khalid?"

"I was with Tondra."

"I see…"

"The witch's hut might or might not be there. If it's not, we're lucky. But if it is…"

"If it is?"

"Just ignore it and pass by. As long as we don't go inside the hut, we'll be fine."

"Got it."

"That witch is nasty. As bad as that old man, Agni."

Agni was the master of the Western Magic Tower. It's been a while since I heard that name. Agni was quite a strong wizard, and to be as "nasty" as him…

Also, if the crazy wizard Khalid says this much, then …

I should stay on guard.

"Are you, by any chance, acquainted with each other?"

"What do you mean?"

"The witch and you, Sir Khalid."

"…"

"Was that a rude question?"

"Quite."

So they do know each other. Not just acquaintances; it seems like they have a special relationship.

"She's a very difficult person."

If the most difficult person I know says she's difficult, just how difficult is she?

"That's exactly what caught Tondra's interest."

"Oh, don't tell me that's why…"

"Yes. That's why she's able to live in these Silver Mountains."

"So she has Tondra's permission."

"And Tondra has the witch's permission."

With that, Khalid walked past me. It seemed he didn't want to talk any further. I wanted to ask more but decided not to follow him. There's no good in irritating a sensitive wizard.

For now, I should inform the group about the witch's hut.

"Hey…"

"Shh!"

Just as I was about to speak, Aquila hushed me by pressing a finger to her lips. Huh? As I looked at her in confusion, suddenly from somewhere…

– Rumble, rumble…

– Crash, crash, crash…

– Grrrrrrrr…

A terrifying sound, like the prelude to thunder accompanied by a powerful tremor, made my whole body shake. Instinctively, shivers ran down my spine. That sound…

"They're golems."

Aquila's whisper confirmed my suspicion. I looked toward the distant edge of the valley she pointed to. Amidst the swirling snow, what had just seemed like an ordinary cliff began to break away from the mountain and move slowly. Thud, thud, thud, thud…

There wasn't just one of them. The silver mountains with the valley between them had gray and navy golems battling for territory on either side, and it seemed that the battle was just beginning.

I held my breath as I watched that terrifying yet awe-inspiring scene. The rest of the group did the same. Watching what looked like mountains fighting each other, I fully understood how myths are born and passed down. It was…. that intense and magnificent.

"Aquila, what do we do?"

El asked Aquila. The latter replied without taking her eyes off the golems.

"Do you see the biggest ones over there?"

Aquila pointed to the center of the fight where the largest gray golem and the largest navy golem were clashing shoulder-to-shoulder.

El nodded her head and said,

"I see them."

"Once those two break apart, the fight will hit its first break. That's when we quickly pass through this area."

"When will they break apart?"

"Well, we won't know until it happens."

"Then, until that time we…"

"We wait."

Aquila who was determined not to waste the waiting time pulled some jerky from her pocket and started eating. Oh, we hadn't had lunch yet. A good choice. I followed Aquila's lead and took out some jerky to eat.

"Even if they don't break apart, the fight will stop when the sun sets. Golems are active only when the sun is up."

"They're the exact opposite of trolls."

I muttered so while chewing the jerky. Anyway, it's a relief that they stop when the sun sets. It would have been a real headache if we had to break up the golems' war…

"If it isn't settled by sunset, we'll have to camp outside the valley tonight. And at dawn…"

"We can quickly cross the valley."

Aquila nodded her head. The Golem Valley wasn't that long. If we moved diligently from dawn to noon, we could cross the valley as Aquila planned.

We held our breath and watched the golems' war.

– Booom!!!

– Crackle…

– Thud!!!

The sight of enormous rocks cracking, breaking, and falling was both terrifying and majestic. So, that's what it means for mountains to fight each other. I was so mesmerized by the scene that I forgot to chew my jerky.

Booom!!!

The gray golem's fist struck the part of the navy golem that seemed to be its solar plexus. With the accumulated impact, one of the navy golem's shoulders fell off which caused it to lose balance and collapse. As the navy golem fell, the smaller golems underneath it were crushed to pieces. It was a chilling sight.

"Now."

Aquila whispered. With the outcome decided, we had to move. We followed Aquila along the edge of the Golem Valley. The path was barely wide enough for a person to pass through. The thought of falling off the cliff and dying sent shivers down my spine.

"Ha, huff…"

The snowy path was completely different from a forest path. Even I felt out of breath, so it must have been quite tough for the others too. Actually, the only ones walking properly were Aquila and the goats.

-Rumble…

We passed the most dangerous cliff, and just as we were about to step onto another snowy field, I felt a strange vibration from somewhere. Was it because of the golems? But the battle was already over. I looked at Aquila. Her green eyes were filled with surprise.

"Aquil…"

"Avalanche! Run!"

Avalanche?

I looked up and saw a white mist spreading from the distant mountain ridge like fog. In an instant, I recalled a scene from a movie I had seen once. It was about a man climbing a snowy mountain to escape the mafia's threats, and when the mafia fired their guns…

The sound triggered an avalanche.

Bang, bang, bang, bang… I remember the scene where a single gunshot echoed several times. The snow, heavy and silent, collapses with the slightest vibration. An avalanche triggered by a gunshot wiped out the protagonist's enemies. I thought it was a refreshing solution back then, but now that I'm experiencing it, it's anything but "refreshing!"

Should I use [Forest's Protection] now? The dome-shaped plant barrier is so strong and sturdy that nothing can penetrate it. The downside is that it can only hold about two or three people, but at least El and Aquila…

"There! There's a hut over there!"

Unfortunately, El was faster than me. She was much, much faster. Before I could do anything, El, with excellent reflexes, had already flung open the hut door and slipped inside. Aila followed El, the goats followed, Aquila followed, and Lloyd followed as well.

"…"

"…"

In that brief moment, Lloyd and I exchanged glances.

– That's the witch's hut, right?

– That's the witch's hut.

…But we had no choice. Our companions had all disappeared into the hut. Maybe it was because Tondra was asleep, but the magical waves of the Silver Mountains were so unstable. Even a witch couldn't do something serious with the "magical power" of the hut, right? While I was thinking about that, I ran towards the hut. Khalid must have thought the same, as he also dashed into the hut with the golem carrying him. Since Khalid was slightly faster than me, I was the last one to enter, and I closed the door behind us.

-Bang!!!

-Rumble!!!

As I closed the door, an avalanche engulfed the hut.3

"Huff, huff…"

I pressed my back against the door with all my might to prevent it from opening under the pressure of the avalanche. I felt the snow sweeping over the hut with my entire body. Only after the terrifying vibrations stopped did I come to my senses and lift my head. Ah, I almost died!

"Phew, ha…"

It was pitch black inside the hut. I took a deep breath and took out the morning star tree fruit from my pocket. Its soft light spread around me.

"…What?"

Though the morning star's light wasn't magically strong, it was enough to illuminate every corner of the hut. However…

No one… is here?

I had clearly seen my companions enter this hut with my own eyes, yet no one was inside. It was as if I had entered the hut alone from the beginning.

And that wasn't all.

The wall…

The hut was definitely a small, single-room structure. But the moment I took a few steps after lifting my back from the door to look around…

The wall is gone.

The wall wasn't visible. I had seen it just a few steps away. I tried to go back to where the door was, but I couldn't reach it, as if the door had disappeared the moment I turned my back on it.

Shit…

All around me was endless darkness.

I began to walk in order to find something, anything. But it was strange. No matter how much I walked, walked, and walked some more, nothing appeared, not even a wall. I had been walking for ten minutes in this small hut.

– Hee hee.

– Hee hee hee.

– Hee hee.

I also seemed to hear an eerie laugh around me, though it was unclear whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

It's not like I'm taking a test of courage.

I swallowed hard and started walking away from the laughter. Since I couldn't find the door, I decided to walk in the opposite direction, hoping to reach the end.

If the hut's owner had set a trap, I'd just break the trap.

"…Let's go."

I strode forward with determination.