Three days had passed since the caravan left Rift City.
Erich, the “traveling mage,” lived a remarkably leisurely life. On paper, he was a guard for the caravan, but there were at least twenty actual guards—all hardened veterans who lived by the blade. There was absolutely no need for him to lift a finger. Besides, mages were considered high-end escorts; his primary duty was merely casting a few scouting spells to check the road ahead for lurking magical beasts. It was easy work.
Erich was more than happy with this arrangement.
The caravan's route took them north along the main road, passing through several small towns for supplies before turning toward Radiant City. The entire journey was estimated to take seven or eight days.
For the first two days, Erich spent his time adjusting to the rhythm. The bumpy carriage ride made it impossible to do anything too delicate, so he leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes closed to rest, or organized his magic system in his mind. Whenever they made camp, he would cast a scouting spell or two as a mere formality to ensure there were no magical beasts or bandits nearby, and then consider his duty done.
On the evening of the third day, the caravan camped on a slope. Sitting by the campfire, Erich took out his portable magic communicator.
The device looked similar to a cell phone from his previous life, though its craftsmanship was much cruder. Its usage was also similar to a telephone: dialing a number transmitted a signal through the mana network, with a range that could cover the entire heart of the empire at its furthest.
Erich held the communicator, hesitated for a moment, and pressed a sequence of numbers.
Isabella had slipped this number to him during their very first class. At the time, he hadn't known what it meant and hadn't paid it much mind. With so much happening afterward, he had completely forgotten about it until recently.
After dialing, he waited for a long time before a faint blue light flickered on the crystal screen, followed by intermittent static.
“Hello?” Isabella's voice came through, laden with static like an electrical current, breaking up. “...Who is this?”
“It's me, Erich.”
Silence hung on the other end for a moment before a sentence squeezed through the static: “You're still alive.”
Erich choked slightly.
“I'm alive and well, Isabella. I'll make this quick since the signal is bad. Can you pass a message to the princess and the others? Tell them I'm safe and heading to Radiant City.”
“...The princess... knows... wanted... you...”
“Yes, that's exactly why I'm contacting you,” Erich said, raising his voice. “I'll explain everything in person when I get back.”
“...Okay...” Isabella replied, her voice drifting in and out. “...Tell... Lorraine... and the others...”
“Right, Lorraine and Irene. Tell them both that I'm fine, and they shouldn't worry blindly.”
“...Alright... take care of... yourself...” Before she could finish, a sharp crackle erupted, the static spiking before everything went dead silent.
Erich pressed the dial button again, but there was no response. He tried a few more times, but the communicator's crystal screen remained dark, and even the static had vanished.
Long-distance communication using mana signals was still rather unreliable. It was easily affected by weather, terrain, and even surrounding mana fluctuations. Given the vast distance between them, being able to connect even once was already considered lucky.
Erich put away the communicator and turned his attention back to business. There were still a few days' travel left before they reached Radiant City, and he couldn't afford to waste this time. He sat cross-legged, spread his palm, and let a wisp of ice-blue mana flow at his fingertips. It condensed into tiny ice crystals, melted, and condensed again, repeating the process over and over.
Since breaking through to the second-tier, his perception of the elements had become significantly more refined. However, a single element could branch into countless skills. If he tried to grind proficiency for every single skill, there was no telling how long it would take.
So, Erich decided to change his approach. Instead of practicing specific skills, he focused on studying the underlying patterns of the ice element itself.
He had been pondering this for several days, and today, a sudden flash of insight struck him, bringing a new skill with it.
【Obtained Skill: Elementary Ice Magic Mastery Lv1】
The effect was to master the basic application of the ice element, increasing the base power and casting efficiency of all ice magic.
Erich was quite pleased with this pleasant surprise and began to contemplate how to apply this to other elements of magic.
The days passed in this manner, traveling by day and camping by night, with Erich practicing his magic without fail.
Alongside his progressing strength, Erich also pondered the words of the Lord of Death.
“Survive.” He didn't need her to tell him that; Erich knew it better than anyone. Erich Edmond was a villainous side character destined for fodder. Everything he had done since transmigrating was simply to grow stronger and survive.
“Beware of the gods.” This sounded a bit esoteric. In this world, he had only ever met one god, the Lord of Death, and she was a young girl who seemed quite amiable. Beware of her? It didn't seem necessary. But as for other gods, he didn't even know who he was supposed to be wary of.
As for the top of the tower...
The only “top of the tower” Erich could conceive of was the highest level of the Abyss. But what was his current level? Second-tier. He could barely even enter the third floor of the Abyss, so the top of the tower was far too distant for him, completely out of reach.
Since thinking about it was pointless, Erich simply put the matter out of his mind for now. There was no rushing it anyway; he would deal with it when his strength increased.
He was just about to practice his ice magic a bit more when the carriage door was suddenly pulled open from the outside.
“Hilet, I want some ice!”
A young girl poked her head in, her voice quite loud. She looked no different from a human, with wild, heroic facial features and a small canine tooth peeking out when she smiled. The only difference was the pair of wings growing from her waist, their pure black feathers tucked against her sides.
This was Carla, a beastkin among the caravan guards.
Erich wasn't entirely sure which specific type of avian beastkin she was, though he leaned toward a crow. Those wings were a glossy, oily black, and up close, they even shimmered with a colorful sheen, unlike anything a normal black bird would have.
“Did you catch more prey?” Erich asked.
Carla giggled and stepped aside, revealing a cleanly dressed wild boar behind her. Its four hooves were bound with hemp rope, and it was hanging from the side of the carriage.
“I got lucky and caught a big one. Help me freeze the meat, or it won't keep.”
Ever since this girl found out Erich was a mage who knew ice magic, she had practically treated him as a mobile freezer, coming to him to freeze meat every few days. However, she was sweet-tongued and knew how to behave, never forgetting to share a portion of her prey with him, so Erich didn't bother to complain.
Erich waved his hand toward the wild boar. A thin layer of frost spread across its body, and before long, it was frozen rock-hard, its surface coated in white frost.
Carla clapped her hands in satisfaction, then leaned in and unceremoniously squeezed into his carriage to sit down.
“Hilet, you're so useful,” she said, blinking her eyes.
“It's called reliable.”
“Same difference. Don't you get bored nesting in here and staring into space all day?”
“I'm not staring into space. And don't you get tired of going out to hunt every day?”
“Tired of what? Meat is life!” Carla said righteously.
Erich didn't bother to argue. Carla didn't treat him like a stranger either, curling up in the carriage and starting to ramble about her hunting trip today.
Erich listened while offering occasional hums of agreement. He also casually stroked Carla's wings. The feathers felt smooth and neatly arranged to the touch; she was clearly someone who groomed them daily.
“You take great care of your wings,” Erich praised casually.
“Of course!” Carla raised her chin proudly. “For us of the Blackfeather Clan, our wings are our pride!”
The sky gradually darkened, and the caravan finally left the wilderness, stepping onto a smooth main road.
Erich poked his head out of the carriage window. In the twilight, the silhouette of a city stood in the distance. The city walls weren't high, but they were brightly lit. A queue of people was entering the city gates, and the faint, noisy shouts of street vendors could be heard.
After traveling for several days, they had finally reached civilization.
Carla also poked her head out to look, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, we're here! Hilet, I'll treat you to meat later!”
“Make up for the meal you already owe me first before saying that.”
Carla giggled, not answering as she jumped off the carriage to help the caravan with the details of entering the city.
The carriage caravan slowly drove toward the city gates. Erich felt the communicator in his pocket, thinking that once they were inside the city, the signal might be better, and he could try dialing Isabella again.
Rate on N.U.
