Chapter 319.

[Lotio Mountain Range, ranging 1400km in length and 240km in width, is a gigantic mountain range located between the Republic of Leores and the Arunheim Kingdom . Each mountain peak has a unique environmental condition and is filled with powerful monsters that prevent human habitation . Keilin Mountain and seven other mountains, which all have a height of over 5000 meters, are all in this mountain range… . ]

A safe road was constructed from the duchy to the republic, but Harin, the person I had to protect, chose to go over the mountain range . That was enough to tell me what situation she was in .

“…Did you study up?” Harin asked .

I put down the book I was reading and replied with a nod, “Somewhat . ”

We were currently in a stable where Harin’s beloved horse was staying . I ran to a bookstore first thing in the morning to pick up a book about Lotio Mountain Range and was now in the middle of reading through it .

“… . ” Harin gave me an odd look . She was doubting my trustworthiness and most likely lamenting her situation where she had to depend on a mere F-rank soldier .

“…It’s fine if you give up . ” After some time, Harin said bitterly . “Lotio Mountain range is infamous . It’s not a place a mere soldier can survive through . I’m confident in my martial prowess with the knight training I received, but I can’t guarantee your safety on such a dangerous trip . ”

She spoke honestly . She didn’t blame anyone or complain .

“No, it’s fine . ”

I accepted the situation . With my Art, [Parkour], climbing a mountain wasn’t much of a problem . The more obstacles it had, the better my Art would perform . Moreover…

[Harin – Eldest Daughter of Loren Clan, Devil Hunter]

Harin’s status reflected by my gift showed a surprising piece of info – ‘Devil Hunter’ . She was clearly someone I should keep an eye on .

“Haa… I wonder where your confidence comes from . ” Harin furrowed her brows unhappily before gulping down a bottle of water in one go . “Then let’s make something clear before we set out . If anything happens, I will leave you behind without hesitation . ”

“…Yes, I understand . ” I nodded my head . “Then shall we go?”

Just as I said that… tzzzt— tzzt— A square box Harin put in the corner of the stable emitted strange noises . The box spat out a piece of paper as though it was a printing machine . Harin snatched up the paper in a smooth motion then began to read it .

“…What’s that?”

Harin responded simply, “I asked my friend to investigate your background . ”

“… . ” Didn’t people usually keep quiet about background investigations? I wasn’t sure whether to call her honest or shameless .

Harin glanced at me and murmured, “Please understand . It’s just to confirm whether your identity is true or not . ”

“…Ah, yes . ” I was curious what background I had as well, so I just sat still . After a brief moment, Harin’s eyes became a little wider .

“You were an herbalist?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah . ”

“…Yeah?” Harin’s eyes turned sharp . I had spoken casually subconsciously .

“Ah, my apologies . ”

“…I don’t know when we will say farewell, but please don’t forget about manners . ”

Harin gave me a displeased glare before beginning to read the paper again .

“Your family… . ” But in the next moment, Harin paused . She didn’t finish her sentence . She raised her head slowly, then dropped the paper in a fluster when she met my eyes .

“K-Kuhum . ”

Her honest reaction was an obvious giveaway that I didn’t have parents in this world . The co-author sure made that one detail consistent .

“Are you finished?”

“Yes, but I want to ask again . Will you really not give up?”

I grinned and nodded my head .

“…Understood . Leines!” Harin let out a light sigh and led her horse, Leines, out of the stable . Meanwhile, I glanced at the paper lying on the floor .

[Lorenzio’s F-rank Knight, Kim Hajin]

[Special Note – Has experience working as an herbalist at the outskirts of the duchy . ]

[Training Records – 510 shots, 610 lookouts, 410 close-combat… Has potential to be promoted to B-rank sharpshooter . ]

[Family – Orphan . Came to the Lorenzio Temple when he was six and stayed there for ten years before becoming an herbalist . ]

At that moment, Harin asked, “Do you really know how to ride a horse? …Ah, I’ll get rid of the report . ”

Harin saw that the report was in my hand and burned it using her magic power . Then, she asked again, “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“…Of course . ”

I took the reins and led Leines . The sky above was getting brighter .

**

Sitting on the racing horse, Harin thought, ‘This sharpshooter, his horse-riding skill is better than I imagined . I’ve never seen anyone handle Leines so well . ’

—Hiiing!

With a cry, Leines suddenly came to a stop . Kim Hajin pulled the reins back and spoke, “It seems we’re here . ”

“…Already?”

Harin hid her surprise and looked around . A sky-high mountain range filled the distant view . From the duchy to Lorio Mountain Range, only 40 minutes had passed . Their travel speed was incredible .

“You’re right . ”

Harin hopped down from Leines’s back and undid the reins and saddle . Knowing what it meant, Leines shook his head and clacked his hooves . Unfortunately, Leines’s journey would end here .

“…You can go now . ”

Leines stomped the ground, clearly expressing reluctance .

Harin consoled Leines, “You did well to get me here . You’re a excellent horse, so you’ll be able to live happily with an owner of your choice…”

With that, Harin stood at the entrance of the mountain range . “Let’s go . ” She spoke with determination .

I looked at her and nodded my head, “I’ll take the lead . ”

The first mountain we had to overcome was ‘Ploriun’ . It was just like any other mountain until the 2000-meter mark . Any higher and a bone-chilling cold filled the air .

“Will you?” Harin still seemed to have doubts but asked in a nicer tone than the first time we met .

“Don’t worry, I have good eyesight . ” I answered with confidence .

**

24 hours afterwards, 2350-meter mark of Ploriun .

“Haa… Haa… . ”

I was currently lying on a cold rock halfway up the mountain . Climbing the mountain was easy thanks to Parkour, but the problem was with my stamina . After all, I had climbed the mountain without stopping for 24 hours .

[Your stamina increases by 0 . 3 points . ]

[Your vitality increases by 0 . 2 points . ]

[Your strength increases by 0 . 2 points . ]

[Your stamina increases by 0 . 1 points . ]

…

Of course, my stats were rising rapidly as well . Harin said it would take at least three months to get over the mountain range, so by the end, my stats should be mostly recovered as well .

“Are you okay?” Harin looked down at me and asked .

I nodded my head silently .

“Your stamina is better than I thought . ” Harin murmured . Then, she examined the grass in the area and harvested some of it . She also picked up some sticks that could serve as kindling and put them in her bag .

As I kept staring at her, she even took the time to explain, “We have to gather as many herbs, kindling, and food as possible . The forest will disappear once we get up into the extreme cold . ”

“… I see . ” I nodded my head and raised my body .

Harin gave me a strange look .

“You’re done resting already?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes, let’s go . ”

My stats went up as I used up stamina, so it was better to keep myself a little tired .

We picked up our bags and began to climb the mountain once more . As we got further up, the greenery on the ground disappeared, replaced with icy dirt . The chilling temperature cut into my skin like blades .

But with [Random Consolidation System] boosting the heat-resistant property of my clothes, I was able to endure the cold better .

I looked at Harin . She was enduring the cold with qi reinforcement . Seeing this, I was reminded of her setting, [Devil Hunter] .

She was undoubtedly an important character in this world . She probably had an important role in fighting Baal . Without doubt, she was someone I had to keep safe .

“Haa, haa . ”

Once we reached the 4000-meter mark, the extreme chill became too harsh to endure . I had no choice but to strengthen my equipment with Stigma’s magic power .

“Are we going the right way? I can trust you, right?” At that moment, Harin asked . Her voice was frigid with cold .

“Yes, just follow me . ” I replied confidently . But perhaps my tone provoked the mountain, as snow-white snowflakes began to pour down .

It was a whiteout . Harin shouted immediately .

“It’s a snowstorm! Be careful!”

Harin headed to the opposite direction as she said that . The person who told me to be careful was lost herself . She had lost her sense of direction from the whiteout .

Seeing her heading towards a cliff, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back strongly .

“Ah! W-Who is it—! Is it you—?!”

“Yes, it’s me . I can hear you fine, so you don’t have to shout . Just follow my lead . ”

This snowstorm even had magic power mixed in the air, making it all the more difficult to endure .

“Whew… I see a cave over there . ”

Considering how long we climbed without rest, no one would curse us for taking a break here .

I began to walk to a natural cave about 500 meters away .

**

28 hours since the beginning of climbing, a cave in Ploriun Mountain .

Tk— Tj—

A campfire burned as three skewered fish cooked above it . Harin smacked her lips and swallowed her saliva as she watched the fish .

When I stared at her, she murmured as if to give an excuse, “…It’s been a while since I’ve had meat . ”

“Really?”

“Campfires leave behind tracks . ”

“Mm… You’ve been on the run for a long time?”

Harin flinched . Her eyes trembled as though they were having an internal earthquake . Soon, she let out a deep sigh and spoke honestly, “…Yes, I’m on the run . That’s why I chose this mountain range . ”

“Why are you running away?”

“…It’s better that you don’t know . In case I get captured, that is . ”

With that, Harin picked up a skewer . I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to hear the full story but gave up and left it for another day . I looked outside the cave . The snowstorm was showing no signs of ending .

I turned back to Harin .

Nom, nom—

She was busy eating the fish . She finished it in the blink of an eye and then looked at me with satisfied yet suspicious eyes .

“…By the way . ” Harin sat tall . Her tone was serious . “Are you really an F-rank soldier?”

I replied with a grin, “You’ve seen the report . ”

“…An F-rank soldier can’t possibly endure Ploriun’s extreme cold . ”

What she was saying made sense, but I just gave the same answer she did .

“It’s better than you don’t know . ”

It was then . A new alert popped up in front of me .

[A core character of this world, Devil Hunter Harin, takes interest in you . ]

“…I see . ”

Harin closed her mouth . After that, we didn’t talk to each other and just stared at the snowstorm outside the cave . Soon, Harin glanced at me and handed me a skewer . I told her she could have it .

“I have another question . ” Harin asked as she nibbled on the fish, “Why did you join Lorenzio’s army?”

It wasn’t a question I had the answer to . I wanted to stay quiet, but a good idea suddenly popped up in my head .

“…Kuhum . ”

With a cough, I leaned against the cave wall and set the atmosphere . I put on a solemn expression and made myself look a little nervous . Then, in the heavy atmosphere, I muttered .

“To beat up a devil, maybe?”

“…!”

Harin’s body shook strongly . She stared at me with widened eyes . I wanted to feel out the title [Devil Hunter] . It worked even better than I thought .

“…Devil?”

“Yes . ”

I replied nonchalantly to her question . It didn’t matter what she asked from here . Her investigation found that I was an orphan . No one knew my background before I came to the orphanage . In other words, I was free to make things up as I pleased .

“You… . ”

Harin swallowed hard and asked again, “Do you believe that devils exist?”

Hearing this, I put on the best act imaginable . I clenched my teeth and fists so that my veins would show and pushed my hair back roughly .

Harin carefully observed my reaction .

“… . ”

I maintained silence and shook my head . It was clear what I meant . Unable to wait, Harin approached me .

“Tell me . Do you believe in the existence of devils?”

“… . ”

I gave her a sharper glare, clearly asking her not to ask any further . But Harin didn’t back down . We got into a staring contest for a few minutes, then I muttered as though I was giving up .

“When I turned six… it killed my family . ”

Harin’s face turned stiff . She was most likely thinking about the family background she read in the report about me .

“A human turned into a horned monster and killed everyone . ”

I tried to act angry .

“Devil is the only way I can describe him . ”

“… . ”

Harin fell silent . She backed off . In the dark cave, she closed her eyes and pondered . Soon, she nodded her head with a sad expression .

“…I see . ”

She seemed to have reached an understanding as she spoke with confidence .

“I understand now . ”

I looked at her . She looked content and was staring at me like looking at a comrade .

“I understand why Airun sent you to me . ”

Just like that, she took the bait .

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