Vortex Hill (4)

Ernest asked Gregory again.

"What? You're saying the Great Radiant Sword is buried somewhere nearby?"

A look of seriousness on Ernest's face that Gregory had never seen before. Ernest seemed bewildered by the idea that the location of the Great Radiant Sword was somewhere beneath this desert.

And for good reason—after all, it wasn't just any sword, but one of the legendary blades spoken of only in myths. Not only did it actually exist; now they were on a journey to find it.

Gregory smirked at Ernest's reaction.

"Well, I think that's enough of a reason... Now, we just have to hurry, right?"

Without saying another word, Ernest picked up the dowsing rods. If the Great Radiant Sword was really buried nearby, there was no reason to delay.

He then asked Gregory how to use them.

"What should I do?"

The method was simple. Gregory explained to him how to use the L-rods. If you hold one in each hand and pass over a place where there's a water vein, the L-rods will naturally cross in an X-shape.

And if you then search around that area, either by digging or by finding a nearby entrance, you should be able to proceed down a passageway.

Hearing this, Alessandro joined in with Ernest. Not only was someone trying to find a suitable sword for him, but that sword turned out to be a legendary blade even Ernest had heard of.

It was only upon seeing Ernest's reaction that Alessandro finally understood why Gregory had been so excited at the library.

"Alright... I'm going to be the one to find it!"

With Alessandro, Gregory, and Ernest all joining in, everyone else felt pressured to participate as well. As the saying goes, "three heads together make a fortress"—and there were three of them, not just one.

As they began their exploration one by one, before they knew it, a sense of competition arose.

"The legendary sword suits me better, so I'll be the one to find it."

About three hours passed since the exploration started, but there was no progress. By noon, when the sun was at its highest, the heat grew even more intense, and mirages shimmered across the endless horizon.

Deciding it was impossible to continue, Alessandro climbed onto the wagon with labored breaths and flopped down.

"Haah... Huff... I can't go on any longer. This is too much."

Even though they divided into teams—some holding the L-rods to search, others keeping lookout from a distance—they saw not a single sign of a monster in the vast desert.

Adrian asked,

"Wasn't this supposed to be the source of the monsters? Why can't we see any at all?"

Alessandro, jokingly, put a hand on Adrian's shoulder.

"Uhuhu, maybe they all died from the heat?"

Adrian found Alessandro's playful words unconvincing and just laughed.

"No way, monsters can't be that weak, right?"

"Still, it doesn't make sense. We came here worrying about danger, but all we're getting is tired, with nothing to show for it."

Adrian responded to Alessandro's complaints, glancing at Gregory and waving his hand dismissively.

"Come on, we're looking for a legendary sword. It'd be even weirder if the search was going smoothly."

Gregory didn't say anything as he watched them. He wasn't angry at their joking behavior.

'It's definitely strange. The only monster we've encountered so far was the basilisk.'

The area they'd explored in the past three hours was not small, and even if monsters weren't visible, the sense of impure mana lingering was unchanged.

Gregory stared down at the ground, suspicious.

'Hmmm... There is one thing that comes to mind, but it couldn't be, could it...?'

Still, aside from their search, Gregory found no other clues and took a short break, full of doubt.

Even resting in the shade, sweat beaded across his skin until his clothes were drenched.

Alessandro continued to grumble.

"The sunlight's so strong, I feel like I'm being boiled alive. Is this what a desert really is?"

Elisabeth spoke up.

"Endure it. If a war breaks out, it'll be dozens of times harder than this. Just think of it as advanced training."

Nonetheless, they pressed on with their exploration. Obtaining the Great Radiant Sword and returning quickly was imperative to avoid disruptions to their future missions, not to mention concerns about food supplies running low.

Gregory and his companions brainstormed ways to save time. The answer: split up.

With six people, Gregory formed three teams of two.

He paired up with Alessandro; Adrian was with Ernest; Brea with Elisabeth. They agreed to request help if anything happened.

And so, spread far apart, each team became absorbed in their search, and Alessandro put his trust in Gregory and pushed straight ahead.

Another three hours passed. Despite setting off with confidence, there was no sign of a water vein, much less the Great Radiant Sword.

Gregory grew puzzled. The books clearly stated that there were ruins around Vortex Hill, and his memories from his past life matched that information.

"Hmmm... Maybe we're going about this the wrong way."

Gregory worried his memory might be mistaken, since despite all their searching, the entrance to the ruins remained elusive.

At that, he wondered if his companions had perhaps discovered the entrance.

Coincidentally, three hours had passed—their agreed meeting time—so he returned to the wagon, their designated gathering spot.

When Gregory and Alessandro got back, Ernest and Adrian were waiting at the front of the wagon, but for some reason Brea and Elisabeth were nowhere to be seen.

Gregory asked Adrian and Ernest,

"What's this, not everyone's back yet? Where are Brea and Elisabeth?"

Adrian and Ernest answered, flustered with expressions that said they didn't know anything.

"Who knows? We only just got here ourselves—not sure where they are. They said they'd be here, so they should show up soon, right?"

Adrian chimed in as well.

"Let's wait a bit more, and if they don't show, we can go look for them. Nothing could've happened, right?"

Gregory felt a chill sweep through him at those words.

'Hmm... Even if there aren't any monsters in the area, those two are never late for anything...'

Ernest slowly approached Gregory.

"Yeah, Gregory, don't worry too much. Maybe we just missed each other—let's just wait for now."

***

About another thirty minutes passed after they decided to wait. The lightheartedness from before was gone, and their expressions had grown serious.

Alessandro, sweating nervously, stammered,

"H-hey, isn't something really wrong?"

Gregory was now certain they had gone missing. He nodded and stood up from the wagon, brushing the dust off his clothes.

"We can't just sit around waiting. We're all going out to look for Brea and Elisabeth."

Gregory also had to make preparations for their return, just in case. If the two had gotten lost in this vast desert, there needed to be a surefire way for them to find their way back as well.

Ordinary footprints would soon be covered by sand, making it impossible to tell where anyone had been.

'So how do we make sure we can return without getting separated?'

Gregory grabbed all the firewood from the wagon and tossed it onto the ground.

Alessandro raised his voice.

"Gregory, w-what are you doing?"

Gregory calmly explained his plan.

"We'll once again split into two teams. Since Brea and Elisabeth might return here, two of us should stay behind."

Once night falls, it's rare for any kind of light to be visible in this wide desert. Gregory planned to use the firewood to light a bonfire, making their location visible from afar.

Moreover, in order to avoid more people going missing while searching for them, he had to choose the surest method.

It was a dangerous move, but with the constant risk of monster attacks in this perilous desert, Gregory could not afford to waste any more time.

Ernest questioned Gregory's plan.

"Hmm... Isn't that too risky?"

At Ernest's words, Gregory reconsidered. If they split the party and the ones at the bonfire got attacked, it would be dangerous.

In the end, they would have to search together. But in case Brea and Elisabeth did return, they needed to leave behind something at the wagon they could easily recognize as a sign the group had been there.

"Hm... You're right. Then, what's something Brea and Elisabeth would recognize at a glance...?"

Looking around, Gregory suddenly had an idea.

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