The way down was not easier than the way up. Because flying was unusable in this strange broken land, their feet were unsteady with the slant, loose gravel, and gravity under their soles. Since there was nothing dangerous on this mountain, Oscar and Avril rode Erden down the mountain slope.

'Demon, what do you think about Avril?' Oscar asked inwardly and focused on Avril in front of him. She was swaying from her sides and humming in delight from his earlier declaration of the mountain possessing an interesting secret. Demon's actions yesterday went out of line, but Oscar also noted some oddness about Avril since then.

'An idiot.' Demon spat without hesitation.

'Harsh as ever. You made a severe mistake yesterday. If anyone's an idiot, it's you.' Oscar scoffed.

'You're the one who acts like an excited child, craving attention. So desperate for someone else you never considered the threat she might pose to you. Taking her medicine without knowing what it is and exposing your back to her without concern. You are also an idiot.' Demon retorted. His cold voice echoed in Oscar's mind, emotionless and strained.

'Must be tough, being so unable to see through people that you can only grasp their nature after threatening them. Others might act well and hide their true intentions, but she feels different. So what kind of fool is she to you?' Oscar said.

'A straightforward fool with no deep thoughts. The idiot does as she thinks and says what she sees without shame or realization of what she's doing. The only thing she hides is her past. But her reaction to me and her scarred face should spell it out for you.' Demon answered.

'I find that quite refreshing. I don't mind Avril hiding her past. That is her private matter. If her words and actions right now are what she truly thinks, then she's alright.' Oscar rubbed his head and yawned. Remembering how Avril said Demon was nice, Oscar smiled and felt Demon was lost for the first time since his conception.

'She's a fool who can't tell a lie or hide her thoughts. Next time, you may not be so lucky. Need I remind you not to be so trusting of others.' Demon lectured.

'Sorry to interrupt your little talk. Isn't this the area you spotted, Oscar?' Erden forced his words into their mental council.

"We're here," Oscar hadn't focused on his surroundings during his conversation with Demon. Plots of gravel and rocks surrounded them; nothing was out of place or unique from the rest of the mountain. However, Oscar knew there was treasure here, picking up a handful of stones.

"What is here?" Avril leaped off Erden, lost her balance momentarily, and managed to hold her footing. She approached Oscar's side, looking at the stones in his hand. Her eyebrow raised, confused at what she was looking at.

"Can't figure it out?" Oscar held a rock and held it closer to her. "Look at the faint yellowish lines and spots on this rock. As a fabricator and under a certain unreasonable head's training, I have a keen eye for these."

"You're a fabricator?" Avril asked.

"I am. And I can tell you these rocks contain a faint amount of metal, an ore of the lowest quality. Its presence in these mountains means there must be a source that may have a better yield. The rocks here are only the outermost ones." Oscar tossed the rocks aside and swept his feet around, slowly digging in until he hit the bare ground.

"So we dig!" Avril shouted in understanding. She created large wooden hands and began digging into the mountain, grabbing a handful of dirt and gravel and throwing it away.

Oscar and Erden joined in. Melding his anima into Erden, Oscar had Erden enlarge and shape the antlers into a more curved shape, similar to a shovel. Erden dug easily into the mountain with the metallic antlers, cracking large boulders into their way. Avril helped settle the dig by constantly throwing away the dirt and broken rubble.

After a few minutes of high-speed digging, creating a hole several tens of feet deep into the mountain, a golden glean peeked out from the cracks of the dirt. Oscar waved for Erden and Avril to stop and lightly cleaned off the dirt, revealing the treasure beneath. These were great golden crystals, a fiery glow burning within them.

"Oh! You're right! That's some treasure." Avril hopped up in praise and joy.

"Grade-three Sunfire Crystals. These are good materials for grade-three armaments." Oscar split off a huge chunk with his hands, still weak from being unrefined. Once these were processed, their hardness and durability would show their true potential. Hours remained for the day, enough time to harvest it all.

They cleaned out the deposit of Sunfire Crystals around the size of a small closet. All covered in dirt, Oscar, Avril, and Erden returned to their small cavern to rest for the night. Oscar patted down all the dust and dirt while wiping himself with a wet towel. On the other side, Avril hugged a Sunfire Crystal, satisfied from today's events, not caring about her dirt-ridden clothes.

"Oscar, can you teach me more reading and writing?" Avril sat with great expectation.

"Sure, you did well on the letters, so words are next. Now what do I have to help with that?" Oscar rummaged through and took out the book he read yesterday, the collection of short stories. He placed it before her and pointed to the first words, the title. "This word is 'The,' and it's spelled with those three letters."

"The….ok." Avril nodded, focused on the word, and repeated it with her lips.

It turned into a slow reading session. Oscar read out each word slowly and emphasized the pronunciation. Once he got on a word he already said, he had Avril try to speak it with some success. It became fun. Avril's reactions when she got things right and wrong were so dramatic Oscar felt the urge to laugh. He never got tired of her various reactions.

Oscar stopped and closed the book at the end of the first short story. Avril dropped her head to the table and groaned. The reading session was quite taxing on her. To replenish her energy, Oscar took out some fruit for her and meat for himself.

"Hey, Avril," Oscar said, tearing into a chunk of jerky.

"What?" Avril munched on a fruit.

"You said earlier you heard a story of someone with two faces. What kind of story is that?" Oscar asked. If a story of it existed, perhaps his strange condition with Demon's existence could be explained.

"Well, it's a story about a ruler beloved by his people. His palace was golden and shone like a dwelling of the divine. However, under the palace were the darkest dungeons of the worst tortures and cruelty ever known. In the daytime, he was the king of glory and light. At night, he was the tyrant of blood and darkness." Avril finished her fruit. "The king's soldiers rebelled and overthrew him, but in the end, they never knew which was the king's true nature because he played both so well. Seeing you and Demon reminds me of the story."

"Well, I'm the real one. That bastard came long after." Oscar downed his cup of water, noting to research this story later. "Let's go to sleep. We can explore the rest of the plains later. Maybe there will be other surprises to find."

"Yessir!" Avril laughed.

…….

The plains were uneventful except for the savage battle between packs of Exalt Beasts. Oscar and Avril explored the remainder of the large realm, which only amounted to fifteen miles in each way. The mountains, on average, were around ten miles high. Each mountain contained several deposits of ores from grade one to grade three.

Oscar used his other space pockets to store them, having a large supply of ores. In the end, there was no other way but to live here for the time being and prepare for his advancement to Middle Knight Exalt.

The days went by slowly. Oscar planted some plants and vegetables in a small garden to harvest later. Avril especially loved vegetable dishes such as stews and roasts, eating them happily while avoiding the meat. Oscar spent his days training in Ein while eating the few cores he hunted from other Lower Knight Exalts, and he spent his nights teaching Avril how to read and write.

After several months, she finally learned everything and started to read to Oscar to check up on her ability. Her anima also responded well as she continued to read the singular words in its sections. Oscar was glad to see her gaining strength because they needed everything to push through to the next parts of the strange land.

…….

"So, the Great Pirate Roberts retired and decided he had enough of exploring the seas. Now he has a new adventure to see the lands. The End." Avril closed her book and yawned while stretching. She rested her head back, feeling Erden's soft white fur. "How was my reading? She feels nervous asking, hoping for the right words. "

"For the hundredth time now, you're reading perfectly fine. It's been a year since you started learning. Even a slow learner wouldn't take that long." Oscar was also resting on Erden from the other side, meditating in training. He sighed in helplessness. Avril wanted him to listen to her read daily, and he couldn't say no.

"Could you read the next story?" Avril passed the book over Erden's back.

"You already read it multiple times. Why do you need me to read it?" Oscar complained but reached out to take the book and opened it to the next story.

"I like hearing others tell stories. You read them so well too. Reminds me of someone else." Avril chuckled. "That's a secret. She doesn't want to tell."

"Feh. Whatever." Oscar didn't reject her. After a year of living in this place together, he had gotten used to her antics and picked up on several clues. Her self-narration was a form of coping to a level he had never seen. By narrating her thoughts and what was happening around her, she made light of the situation, which helped calm her nerves.

It was also a connection to a person in her past who must have told her many oral stories, which she retold to Oscar with great clarity and memory. Oscar knew he was only taking up someone else's role, but he also enjoyed having someone to read to. Gol-4 and Erden were blockheads and not as receptive as Avril.

After finishing the next story, Oscar closed the book and got up. Avril whistled as she brushed Erden's fur with a makeshift comb made from a rock. Leaving them be, Oscar focused on his core and noted the waves of Ein it emanated, begging for him to act.

The Middle Knight Exalt realm was calling to him.