If We Were To Add One More Companion

After passing through the ruined fortress, it was forest again.

Kikori found himself wondering just how far this vast forest continued.

“Hey, Kuon.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what’s ahead?”

“Well… from what I’ve heard, the forest should end soon. Then the goblin territory should end too.”

“So the General was the strongest?”

“In this area, yes.”

In other words, farther ahead there were probably even stronger goblins.

Realizing that, Kikori kept walking.

Perhaps the effects from before hadn’t fully recovered, or they had scattered through the wide forest.

There were surprisingly few goblins within the adventurers’ route.

And if hunting goblins would draw criticism now… they had no choice but to go forward.

Walking and walking, they left the forest.

At the sight spread before them, Kikori fell speechless.

“Wh-what is this…”

“It’s my first time seeing it too. Honestly, it’s scary.”

A massive mountain range, and in the middle… a carved road exactly where the “Adventurers’ Route” ran.

The surrounding destroyed huts felt different from the goblins’—they had a sense of civilization.

“The Adventurers’ Tunnel… I heard there was a pretty intense battle to dig this.”

“Couldn’t they just climb over it?”

“They tried and many died. The top of this mountain is a nest of horrifying monsters… so they dug this instead, and that led to fighting the orcs on the other side.”

“…”

Kikori looked up at the mountains.

He didn’t know what was up there, but it must have been something so vicious they had no choice but to give up.

That was why they had to retreat.

They must have thought building a temporary base here and digging a massive tunnel was better.

A chill ran down his spine.

Such things existed just beyond goblin territory… less than half a day from the Fortress City.

That meant destruction was right there.

“Scary…”

“Yeah, it is. Humanity is always on the brink of extinction.”

A place unreachable even by risking one’s life.

Humanity looked away from it and moved forward.

For now nothing had happened… but if those things in the mountains ever changed their minds, the Fortress City would be destroyed in the literal sense.

“…Let’s go back. If we go farther, we won’t return today.”

“I agree. We’re far too unprepared for now.”

Kikori and Kuon nodded and turned around.

“Hey, Kuon.”

“Hm?”

“If we add one more companion, what kind of person would be good?”

“Hm. I’ll organize my thoughts—can we talk tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

Talking like that, the two returned to the Fortress City.