Chapter 164

Mount Demon Sealing

The place where the Tribal Alliance was situated was a vast plain known as the Great Plains.

In truth, if I judged by area alone, I would have to say it was wide enough to be comparable to the entire Empire.

If one knew that and looked at it that way, the evaluation often attached to the Tribal Alliance—‘Though its population is small, its national power does not fall short compared to other nations’—might have sounded a little strange.

If there was such an expansive territory, it would have been normal for the population to be proportionate. But if I looked into it just a little more closely, there was a characteristic that made it immediately understandable.

‘……The place closest to the Void Zone.’

The Void Zone, where Wornil, God of Devouring was sealed, once had the Northern Grand Ducal House establish its territory right before it in the Empire. But the Tribal Alliance boasted the imposing distinction of having the Void Zone laid out directly in front of its living sphere.

Whenever there was the slightest gap, beasts burst out, all sorts of anomalies swept through in every season, and even madmen—

Was there a saying that the reason every single warrior of the Tribal Alliance was, on average, highly capable was because those who were not had already died?

The terrain called Mount Demon Sealing right before my eyes immediately proved that as it was.

‘……You called this a plain.’

Looking at the towering mountain that reminded me of a skyscraper carved into the sky, I let out a faint scoff.

Well, just because it was called a plain did not mean there could not be other landforms. I understood that much.

Perennial ice, often seen on terrifyingly high mountains, stood out as a distinctive feature at a glance.

And there was an even greater feature that pushed aside even something as striking as that perennial ice.

It was pitch-black.

From the entrance, to the mountainside, and all the way to the summit. Though the perennial ice appeared white, the entire terrain surrounding it stretched outward in a color that, at best, could be described as jet-black, and at worst, like horribly rotted tar.

I could tell at a glance that it was a landscape heavily influenced by demonic energy, to the point that I did not even want to confirm what kind of horrific lifeforms might be living in some form along the way.

“It was originally used for the Tribal Alliance’s coming-of-age ceremony. If one could pass through the gate at the mountainside and return alive, they were acknowledged as having earned the share of a full-fledged warrior.”

Noel muttered that while clutching her head.

The condition set by the Great Chieftain was as follows. If I went up to the summit of Mount Demon Sealing and returned, he would grant me a portion of his authority, albeit for a limited period.

They said the reason he specifically designated reaching that summit was because simply going up there and returning was a trial every chieftain had undergone at least once.

-Authority without qualification only breeds resentment.

Recalling the image of the Great Chieftain adding that, at the very least, I had to accomplish that much if I wished to inherit even a portion of his authority, I cracked my neck with a sharp sound.

Well. He did say he would give me a ‘chance’; he never once brought up giving me any authority from the beginning.

“……Even putting it nicely, it’s suicide.”

Noel’s evaluation of that proposal was thoroughly cynical.

Clutching her throbbing head from a hangover, Noel muttered those words. She did not seem to properly remember what on earth she had done the previous night, but instead of explaining it in detail, I had only told her the appropriate conclusion.

……With Noel’s personality, if she remembered something like that, she would probably writhe in embarrassment and even scream.

“I feel like I’ve already gone through things far worse than this without batting an eye.”

In fact, considering what I had experienced in the Holy Crown Kingdom and the Empire, it would not be an exaggeration to say I had already developed a certain resistance to mere life-threatening situations.

My own inherent ability could hardly be called impressive, even as empty praise. But when my body was plastered with all sorts of skills, the level of capability I possessed these days was almost comparable to a tactical weapon.

It was still something to think about whether I could be compared to top-tier superhumans like Noel or Princess Katya, but at the very least, it was true that simple danger alone was not enough to threaten me easily.

“It’s not simply a matter of strength or weakness. To descend there with your bare body and return without being eroded by demonic energy is closer to a religious symbol than proof of strength.”

In fact, the chieftains who returned from the summit were said to each carry at least one sacred relic or heirloom passed down through their family line.

“To demand that you do such a thing without even lending you one of the tribe’s proud relics is no different from telling you to die. No matter how strong a human may be, they cannot be compared to a superhuman protected by a god.”

“…….”

As I quietly listened to those words, my eyes narrowed slightly.

“Honestly, I don’t understand. There’s no way someone called the Great Chieftain wouldn’t know something that simple.”

“He might be ordering it because he does know.”

“……Pardon?”

“Maybe he wanted to confirm that I’m gradually departing from being human.”

“…………??”

A large question mark seemed to appear above Noel’s head at my remark, but instead of explaining further, I merely stretched slowly.

To begin with, the very reason I had come to the Tribal Alliance was because Rania had dragged me here over that very issue.

If the religious leaders were the priestesses, it was difficult to believe that the Great Chieftain, who effectively held real power over the entire Tribal Alliance, would not have connections with them.

It would be more reasonable to think that there was something he wanted to find out from me through this.

“…….”

Considering my usual disposition of detesting being swayed by others, refusing would have been the normal choice.

But instead of devising some additional means to push back against them, I quietly decided to simply loosen up my body.

That was because—

‘I’m curious too.’

If Noel openly called it a suicidal act, then there was no doubt that something dangerous was lurking at that summit.

At the very least, there had to be something there that could never be endured unless it was connected to Divinity.

If that was the case, then this would at least be an opportunity to confirm it.

What kind of existence the Outsider connected to me truly was.

This time, I would finally confirm it.

“Dame Noel.”

“Yes?”

I was the type of person who could not rest easy without quickly confirming anything that piqued my curiosity.

I grabbed Noel’s hand firmly and pulled her toward me.

Noel, who had been barely keeping herself upright while holding her throbbing hangover-stricken head, was easily tugged toward me.

“E- Aiden?”

Her face slightly reddened, Noel fidgeted as she asked that.

I had felt it before, but when her temper snapped, she behaved more violently than anyone else—yet she was endlessly weak when someone else pushed her instead.

Gently stroking her hand, I carefully guided it toward my chest.

When I placed her hand near my heart, the blush hanging on Noel’s face deepened even further, despite the incomprehensible turn of events unfolding one after another.

Perhaps it was because the gesture I was making carried an atmosphere that could easily be mistaken for something romantic in implication.

……That might have been the case, at least if I were not gripping her fist tightly and maneuvering it almost as if I were seizing her by the collar.

“?”

As an even larger question mark seemed to form on her face than before, I calmly turned her hand and pointed toward Mount Demon Sealing.

“Anyway, I just need to touch the summit and come back, right? Let’s get a little help.”

“……?”

“Please throw me.” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The rationality had nearly drained from Noel’s face by now, but I continued regardless.

“If you throw me high, in a parabolic arc, wouldn’t that save quite a bit of time?”

“……??”

“Just throw me with as much force as you’ve felt annoyed at me lately.”

“…….”

Hm.

It felt like I might have said the wrong thing.

Her expression, which had been steadily losing rationality as she listened to my words, suddenly stiffened the moment I said that, and she began glaring at me.

“The higher I go, the more love I’ll return to you later, Dame Noel—”

Before I could hastily add anything more, my body shot through the air like a beam of light.

…As expected, it was a speed worthy of the shoulders of a top-tier superhuman I had just been mulling over.

▣

After a flight that made me wonder if the motivation had been a little too appropriate, I groaned and pushed myself up from where I had been embedded around the mountainside.

True to the name Mount Demon Sealing, not even a second after landing here, I could feel hostility from everything nearby that pulsed with life.

“…….”

Steadying my throbbing body and looking around, I sensed the remnants of creatures slithering through the darkness.

From afar, I could feel the cunning and slyness of beings watching my every move as if stalking prey.

“……Hm.”

I let out a faint laugh as I rose to my feet.

Well, even Reaver, a top-tier magical beast, possessed intelligence no different from that of a human. I already knew that lifeforms influenced by demonic energy tended to have the disposition of cunning hunters.

And with that violent landing just now, nearly every lifeform on this mountain had likely noticed my presence. It was no different from poking a hornet’s nest.

In this state, I had to circle the summit and return. I had to advance toward that unknown something which even the chieftains of the Tribal Alliance could not endure without sacred relics and heirlooms.

If someone asked me whether I could do it—

“…….”

I opened the System Window and checked my available means. I reviewed the plan I had been forming in my head.

Up until now, most of what I did had required scrambling for additional measures whenever unforeseen variables erupted.

But this time, I had a certain degree of confidence.

They said that qualification without proven strength earned nothing but ridicule.

Setting aside the intention behind sending me here with those words, I could not agree more with that sentence itself.

In other words, once strength was proven, the qualification befitting it would naturally be granted legitimacy.

To begin with, since I had been confronted with life-threatening hostility the moment I arrived here, there was no need to worry about excessive methods or saving face. That was another advantage.

Then all I had to do was show it. This so-called qualification of strength.

It was said that it generally took about three days for the chieftains to reach the summit.

Naturally, I had to do it faster than that. I wanted to return at least twice over what I had been subjected to, and considering how extreme my actions would be in finding the one I needed to repay, I had to make sure they would not even dare to squeak afterward.

So then, what would be an appropriate amount of time to make them unable to utter a single word?

I had not given much thought to a precise standard, but there was at least one thing I could say with certainty.

‘Thirty minutes would be more than enough.’

Mount Demon Sealing.

Time remaining until conquest: 30 minutes.