Vortex Hill (1)

In his previous life, Alessandro was a figure who died quickly in the war between the Blandi Kingdom and the Arme Kingdom.

That's why retracing his memories took longer than he expected. Looking at Gregory, who had fallen silent, Alessandro found himself deep in thought.

'What...? Is he upset because I asked him to change my weapon?'

Contrary to Alessandro's assumption, Gregory suddenly muttered to himself.

"Vortex Hill, huh."

Vortex Hill. It is a hill in the desert, battered by harsh and fierce winds, the erosion and weathering shaping it into a form reminiscent of a vortex—hence the name.

So, what about this hill?

Alessandro's signature weapon in his previous life, the Great Radiant Sword, was said to have been discovered in ruins near Vortex Hill.

The reason Alessandro was unable to use a standard greatsword was simple. The Great Radiant Sword, unlike ordinary swords, was light. Because of this, it became a relic stolen by the Blandi Kingdom after Alessandro's death.

According to the story of his past life, Alessandro's family should have discovered the Great Radiant Sword when they moved to a village near Vortex Hill right before the war.

However, because Gregory continuously delayed the war, the planned move never happened. Knowing 'Vortex Hill', Alessandro grew uneasy and asked again.

"Why Vortex Hill all of a sudden...?"

"We're leaving for Vortex Hill at once."

Gregory had not, in his past life, ever found the Great Radiant Sword himself. He only heard widespread rumors, so he had no precise way of finding the ruins.

Even so, he prepared to head to Vortex Hill immediately. Now was the most important time to hone his swordsmanship proficiency.

He'd already mastered the basics of general swordsmanship.

Once Alessandro fully adapted, he would become a 4-star knight, making him more than capable of fighting even ordinary enemy commanders. Gregory wanted to equip him with a proper weapon.

However, contrary to Gregory's intentions, Alessandro recoiled in disgust and shouted,

"Gregory, have you finally lost it?? Don't you know how dangerous that place is? There's no reason to go there!"

It was a natural reaction. The area around Vortex Hill is actually a source of monsters, much like the Forest of Annihilation. What's unusual is that, while it's swarming with them, the monsters tend to stay clustered there rather than attacking nearby villages.

Still, with everyone growing stronger lately, Gregory thought that breaking through swarms of monsters to find the ruins wasn't out of the question.

He needed to think carefully. The ruins where the Great Radiant Sword was found were buried in sand, so the odds of finding them were slim.

'Hmm... As expected. There's only that method left.'

Gregory, reciting the iron rule of the Dawn Knight Order, shifted his gaze to the surrounding bookshelves.

"It is rare to have someone who points out your flaws, and it is a blessing to learn from someone stronger than yourself. Therefore, heed the lessons of the strong."

Alessandro grimaced.

"That's the knight order's rule. What does that have to do with going to Vortex Hill?"

Gregory replied in a commanding tone.

"Because you're about to receive a lesson. So wait."

At those words, Alessandro watched Gregory quietly, curious about what he was up to.

Gregory moved a wooden ladder and took down an old, worn book from a high shelf.

[Boriha Ruins]

The title of the book was Boriha Ruins. It didn't mention 'Vortex Hill', since the hill got its name only after the Boriha Ruins were buried in sand.

But Gregory knew exactly what these ruins were. In his previous life, after the Great Radiant Sword's discovery, archaeologists had uncovered the ruins' true identity, which spread via newspapers.

The book was damp, its pages faded and moldy. To make things worse, each page crumbled as it was turned, and the writing was barely legible.

Carefully flipping through the pages, Gregory murmured the wormlike script, extracting distinct information.

'As expected... My memory was correct.'

Gregory had frantically looked for the book, fearing his memory might be wrong. Fortunately, the new library had a volume on the Boriha Ruins.

Alessandro asked,

"So what's the plan? There's too little information."

Gregory pointed to a part of the text with his finger and watched Alessandro's reaction.

"Can you read this?"

"Uh... Other than 'water vein' and 'passage,' I can't make out anything."

Gregory flashed a sly smile.

"That's it."

Alessandro didn't understand Gregory's words. Maybe it was just because he was a thick-headed fool.

No, really, no one could decipher the information with just that.

Gregory gave Alessandro a hint.

"Dowsing rod."

What Gregory wanted to find was a water vein. To find underground water, it was common to use two bent metal rods, often called 'L-rods.'

There is a theory that when holding the rods, they'll bend of their own accord upon detecting a water vein.

That's how the Boriha Ruins were discovered in the previous life.

Of course, Alessandro couldn't understand right away, and, scratching his head with his index finger, he asked,

"What's that?"

Gregory sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind. Just know that our next journey is going to be rough. You can go for now. I'll find your new weapon for you."

Alessandro left the room and went to find Adrian.

But Adrian hadn't waited and had gone to eat with Heln already.

"Tch, I shouldn't have told him. Should've just gone to eat."

***

Gregory decided to make detailed plans. Since the area was swarming with monsters, thorough preparation was needed. And he needed Walter's permission, so he had to come up with something convincing.

Still, he wasn't too worried. He was already well-versed in countering greatsword techniques, so as long as he taught Alessandro, he was confident he'd see tremendous growth.

He had a decent excuse ready for Walter.

Knock knock—

"May I come in?"

"Gregory? Come in."

Gregory explained the whole story about Vortex Hill. When convincing Walter, he presented two reasons.

The first was about safety. Based on the fact that monsters from their source had previously attacked nearby villages, Gregory argued that nobody could predict when the monsters swarming throughout Vortex Hill would attack.

The second was that, by leveraging this situation, they could improve their comrades' abilities.

It was a reasonable argument.

Currently, aside from a few monster hunts, his comrades lacked real combat experience. Once war broke out, any mistake could be fatal. Sending them into battle unprepared could be worse than not sending them at all.

So, it was essential to build real combat instincts.

Walter pondered for a moment. Normally, they would need a second approval from Hemingway before leaving, but—

Now that only his own permission was required, Walter bore full responsibility.

Even so, he questioned Gregory further.

"Are you really sure you can all make it to that place on your own? Deserts have repetitive terrain, it's easy to get lost. Can you really handle it yourselves?"

Gregory nodded with confidence.

"We have no shortage of supplies now, so we'll bring extra. And we'll mark our trail to make returning easier."

Yet, unlike usual, Walter considered carefully. It would be fine if he could accompany them, but he had an assignment coming up and couldn't go.

"Hm... Still, I'm nervous about sending just you kids."

It wasn't that he didn't trust Gregory, but he was worried about the fate and responsibility of the knight order. Gregory presented a solution.

"If we're not back in a month, you can come look for us then. Isn't that enough?"

Walter, barely suppressing a smile, tried to look stern.

"How can you say that?! You want me to come find you myself?"

"It's just a figure of speech, sir. I'm that confident that no one will get hurt."

Walter found Gregory reassuring, and quickly shaking off any playfulness, he answered seriously,

"Very well. Go."

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