Around a week later, in the town of Druhwood.

At the start of dawn, the town of logging and woodworking had already begun their morning preparations for their work day. Taking a quick peek outside of my window, I felt it was finally time to head out myself. A whiff of the morning brew made its way into my room as I grabbed my usual trinkets and stuffed them into my knapsack.

“Okay! That’s everything.”

As I headed downstairs, I could hear several voices that were chatting about.

Grandpa must have already started the morning service. I just hope he doesn’t get too angry with me for not attending to the inn today...

“Though, it’s not as if we get many visitors outside of the regulars to begin with anyways...”

I slowly crept around the staircase corner, scanning the interior while noticing a few familiar faces were already having their freshly brewed coffee. You see, I was searching for a particular someone.

Oh. There he is...

Standing over the counter, he was seemingly preparing another batch. And as if I had called out to him, his eyes then suddenly met my own—sending a shudder up my spine. Only for him to then shift his attention toward my bag of trinkets that was hanging near my waist. His whole body was now gesturing a knowing sigh as he then began to tap his fingers against the counter, finally signaling me over.

Aha. Yup, should have known I wouldn’t be able to just leave without a word after all...

Reluctantly, I walked over to the counter as his stern voice began to grate my ears.

“And where are you planning on heading off this early in the morning, Eru?”

“...I was planning on surveying the usual areas. It’s been a while and my stock of materials are starting to run a bit low. Don’t worry though! I’ll make sure to be home before sun set to help with the inn.”

I could see him now squinting his eyes in telling doubt and hesitancy. He could be sometimes a bit too restrictive and overprotective. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like one of those days.

“Hmph. If that’s the case, then just be careful. According to that boy, Palvo, there’s been more and more signs of activity toward the mountain pass from the southern gate. Even the treants have begun staying clear of the area. Ganhurs is starting to get increasingly occupied by the look of it.”

“Hmm. That won’t do at all...”

The materials I needed were rather particular in where they could be found on the mountain. There had been a few barely touched mining veins near the mountain pass that I had yet to fully investigate too.

“I guess my trips will end up becoming even less frequent. Maybe it’s time to find a new place entirely for the mineral deposits? Oh! Maybe we can ask the Spirit of—”

“No, you know better than to go thinking that, youngin’. Our contract is give-and-take. If we have nothing to offer, then there’s nothing to negotiate. Either way, it’d be a waste of an exchange at that.”

“Yes, yes, I know. You didn’t have to put it that way though!”

Serving me a cup, his morning brew was unmatched in its quality. Giving what he said some thought, I figured I’d get what materials I could for the day and then figure something out a later date. As much as I wanted to gather more materials—even if I didn’t—it wouldn’t be the end of the world for me.

“I’ll be heading off then, Grandpa. I’ll makes sure to be careful.”

I turned from the counter with the intent on dashing out as quickly as possible, and was immediately stopped in my tracks by his voice once more.

“Wait, Eru.”

“Hm?”

“Putting the mountain pass aside, make sure you also stay clear of that part of the mountains as well, you hear?”

A word of warning I had heard on every outing. My usual areas weren’t at all dangerous, and grandfather had often joined me over the years to those same locations. Thanks to that, I was allowed to go alone nowadays. The other parts of the mountain were off-limits without him though, since there were rumors surrounding some of the areas.

“...I will.”

As I finally made my way out of our inn and toward the southern gate, the town continued its motions. I passed by an abundance of the usual faces who were hard at work, greeting and stopping for short chats along the way. At the south gate, Palvo was nodding off as he “guarded” the area as the sharp-eyed lookout.

There he goes again, falling asleep on the job. Having someone like him assigned to the southern gate is definitely a bit worrisome. Good thing all of our visitors make use of the north gate instead.

There weren’t any settlements to the south of Druhwood after all. Due to that, no one ever came through the south gate unless they had originally left from our town in the first place. Palvo himself would alternate between the south gate and a lookout tower to the west of the town too.

The treant’s specialized spores around the town are more helpful than the actual guards themselves anyways. Hmm. I could probably just sneak by him as he is now, but...

“Palvo!”

“Hwuaaaaaah!!”

As Palvo stumbled forward slightly after his sudden awakening, he attempted to unsheathe his short sword in a moment of fright and confusion. That didn’t go as planned as he then fumbled the handle and dropped it. Making eye contact with me, his expression of unfiltered bewilderment spoke volumes.

Aaaaaa! Now I feel bad! Maybe I shouldn’t have done that after all...

“E-Eru...?!”

“...Hello, Palvo... Working hard?”

“O-of course! Nothing out of the ordinary around here.”

As if he could tell, was a thought I decided to keep to myself. He was known for having the best eyesight in our town, but he was also one to unintentionally wear an expressive mantle of cowardice in how he acted.

“Oh? Are you heading out to the mountains again? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you come this way.”

“Mhm. I need to restock on some materials. My grandfather has already informed me about the mountain pass as well. Have the treants really migrated away from there?”

“They have. It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve seen any of them heading toward the pass too. So, whatever is over there, must be scaring them off or something... Scary to even think about, right?!”

It definitely was concerning given the treants ability to ward off monsters.

“I wonder what it could be though? Maybe I really should give the pass a quick peek after all? You know, just in case?”

“Huh?! Are you nuts, Eru?! I don’t think that’s a very good idea...”

My curiosity toward wanting to find out what it could be was definitely starting to get to me. During my last visit to the mountains for resources, there were several protective treants along the way. They aren’t exactly cut out for fighting directly, but if it’s something that’s resistant against their spores—it could mean danger for Druhwood.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I should check it out. Just a quick look from afar shouldn’t hurt, right? As long as I keep hidden, I should be fine. Mhm! Sounds like a plan! I should keep that side trip a secret for now though.

“You’re right. It probably isn’t a good idea, huh? I’ll make sure to keep my distance from there then. Anyways, I’ll be out of town until sunset. Don’t go nodding off for too long now. See ya!”

“H-hey! I wasn’t exactly nodding off or anything! I was just exercising my neck! Y-yeah!”

Creating some distance between the south gate and myself, I could hear the faint sound of Palvo slapping himself awake from behind me. The walk to the usual areas would take a few hours—at most. Once that was done, I’d climb to a certain spot where both the mountain pass and the Outer Region were visible.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a few years since I’ve been to that area.”

There wasn’t anything other than the view itself on that particular mountain ridge from what I could remember.

“Here’s to hoping I find nothing at all...”

❖❖

“And that should be everything!”

After several hours of delving into my usual areas, I had now successfully restocked on a few materials I was thoroughly in need of. The Ganhurs Mountains was a treasure trove of unclaimed minerals after all. Due to it bordering the Outer Region, many in Cretho’s Central and Upper Regions were heavily against attempting any excavations entirely. This was because of a lingering fear that it may release the wrath of something from the other side, according to my grandfather. Thus, towns that hugged the mountains often held full reign over its resources. But even then, many continued to refrain from actively establishing any real control over any part of their areas as well.

“Unofficial—but exclusive—rights over these areas brings me happiness either way. I’m glad today’s gathering was abundant!”

A collection of certain rocks and gems was the usual. Thanks to my hobby bringing me to the mountains from time to time, I couldn’t feel that same fear. Aside from my hazy memory of my first visit, I had never been able to see what kind of place lies beyond the mountains though.

Is the Outer Region really that scary of a territory? It’s not as if the mountain pass is sealed shut or anything either.

If something wanted to come to our side from the Outer Region, it would have been able to do so at any time it wished. It was by no means a small pathway.

“Or maybe that’s just thanks to the treant’s protection after all?”

Even as someone who was born in Druhwood and lived near the mountains all of my life, I had rarely heard stories about the other side. It had seemingly been a taboo of sorts to even discuss it. Grandfather would often tell me tidbits he heard on his own adventures when I was younger, but they only came off as just that—stories.

“What is it that makes people want to remain ignorant of it all anyways? I just can’t make sense of that, honestly. Aaaaaa! And just thinking about it won’t change anything either!”

I was already in the process of walking toward—not the peak of the mountain—but a place that held semblance to a mountain ridge that was able to see over and into the Outer Region. It also overlooked the mountain pass’ entrance from that same side.

“Almost...there... This sure is a longer walk than I remember...”

The uncharted pathway was a bit steep, with a scattered display of rocks here and there. I was starting to have the feeling that maybe that’s why I decided to never venture up to this particular area again after the first trip.

“It should be right around—oh! Aaaaaand here it is! Finally. Huh?”

Breaching those final steps, I was greeted by an expansive scenery before me. Despite coming across this area years back, the landscape was like nothing I had ever seen before or remembered.

“So, this...is the Outer Region?”

The jungle-like woodlands seemed infinite as it stretched toward the misty horizon. Massive trees that were scattered throughout the region extended toward the sky, further blocking what hid beyond them. It felt like a mystifying and truly secluded forest, one enshrouding a plethora of secrets that remained untouched.

“...”

I stood in complete awe toward a scenery that disparaged my previous memories of the sight. It made me wonder if I had really given a serious look at what I had found back then. Grandfather had often stated I was one-track minded—clumsily selective in my focus toward my hobby and trinkets.

I wonder if I was only focused on discovering rich deposit sites back then to the point where it clouded my everything else entirely? That’s quite mistake on my part...

Clutching at my trinket and ore-filled knapsack, I couldn’t help but spend several minutes soaking in the Outer Region’s allure.

“It really is a beautiful sight to lay eyes on, but...”

As pleasing as it was to admire such a view, it held a rather unnerving sense of dread that loomed over it. That eerie air that extended from its entirety, had slowly sunk deep into my skin and in succession—sent shivers down my spine. It all stemmed from the thought toward what could potentially be lingering within that forest. Shaking my head slightly at the arising thoughts, I was reminded of why I was there to begin with.

“That’s right! Focus! I need to check on the mountain pass. Let me see... I should be able to overlook it from somewhere around here, right?”

I then finally came across a spot where I could see the mouth of the mountain pass. Scanning the area down below, my eyes immediately glimpsed a sudden and frightening situation. My knees instinctively collapsed to the floor in attempt to remain hidden before I even knew what was going on.

“What...?”

Placing my hand over my mouth in attempt to muffle my reflexive gasp, I slowly peeked back toward the area below again. My gaze was met with the figures of what seemed like a large group of armored individuals. Studying them further, I finally realized what they were.

Are all of those...Undead...?!

Grouped at the mouth of the mountain pass was seemingly dozens upon dozens of skeletons that were well-equipped with armor and weapons. From what grandfather had once told me, Undead were a rarity to see out in the open. They remained in dark, cryptic dungeons, caves, and even appeared in certain areas at night. Never did they roam about in the broad daylight. Yet, here stood a small army on standby before the hint of dusk.

We’ve never had any encounters with any Undead in this area before, so why all of a sudden?! Wait! Is that why the treants backed away from the mountain pass...?

The spores that the treants secreted worked well enough to prevent monsters from ever approaching Druhwood. If they migrated away from the mountain pass due to the Undead, it could only imply one thing.

This is bad! If they all attack Druhwood at once, there’s no way we’d be able to fight back!

The majority of Druhwood weren’t strong enough to repel normal monsters that roamed around the mountains, let alone an Undead assault. Due to our contract with the “Spirit of Enheim” that lived in a nearby forest, Druhwood was protected by the treants. That protection would be invalidated if their spores remained ineffective.

“I need to hurry and head back... I’ll report back to Grandpa and he’ll definitely be able to figure something out...”

Slowly lifting myself from the ground, I made sure to keep my eyes from peeling away from the danger below. Yet, that seemed like a mistake in and of itself as my eyes met something amid the crowd. I could feel my body immediately become stricken with an unshakable fear, as if my blood had turned to ice. At the center of the group of Undead stood a vastly different figure from the rest. A being draped in a dark grey robe with two radiant, red eyes was now glaring in my direction.

That...can’t be right...

At a loss on what to do next, I remained still as my body naturally continued to tense—as if I was being inhibited by an invisible entity. As my mind was racing in absolute terror, the draped figure shifted their attention to their right suddenly—seemingly releasing me in the process.

“Huh...?”

In cold sweat, I slowly followed the direction of their gaze. I too then noticed the appearance of another. The new figure before the army of Undead held semblance to that of an odd, black-haired human priest—adorned in similar shade of black garments. It was an unprecedented visitor from the Outer Region.