Chapter 9: The Traveler

A single stream flowed through the endless grassland. Under the blue sky, flowers bloomed in wild profusion, and a gentle breeze danced lightly and tenderly across the air as if making the stems and leaves of flowers leap. That stream revealed depths disproportionately profound for its size, showing a dark, dark mouth incongruously with the tranquility of the flower petals and grass leaves floating on the water’s surface.

A woman in white clothes was sinking to the bottom of the water. Slowly, languidly.

Irina slowly reached out her hand. Knowing it was too late, knowing she couldn’t reach. But still she extended her hand.

“Schwarz Noir”

Irina awoke when the Milzette 500 ran over a pebble. She had apparently dozed off. The Milzette 500 pressed through the snow with a roar, its metal body creaking as it advanced. Unusually, Sylvia sat in the pilot’s seat, racing toward the Warp Gate.

The wind was sharp, and dark clouds covered the sky. As the altitude increased, the air grew thin and the scenery became increasingly desolate.

“This is… quite treacherous.”

Irina let out a breath with her voice. Before her gaze stretched black mountain ranges towering as if they had escaped from the depths of darkness. That sight released an overwhelmingly fearsome presence, like a black barrier that seemed to tear the very sky and swallow the world’s boundaries.

Irina frowned while glaring at the Milzette 500’s instruments.

“We can’t continue like this. The incline is too steep to shift to flight mode, and there doesn’t seem to be enough distance to land once before reaching the summit. We’ll climb using the multi-legged mechanism.”

As Sylvia spoke, the Milzette 500 smoothly deployed its four limbs and began crawling up the dark mountain face like a living creature. Flexibly bending its joints as if alive, it cleverly grasped gaps in the rocks to climb. From the rough rocky surface came the constant high-pitched sound of the vehicle’s claws scraping, but its speed was surprisingly fast. Each time the mountain face’s incline steepened, one might think it would lose footing, but the Milzette 500’s automatic stabilization system engaged, keeping wobbling to a minimum.

“As expected of Mitsuba Heavy Industries. To climb so stably even on gradients close to cliffs…”

Irina murmured in amazement. Despite the altitude being thin enough to rarify the atmosphere, the vehicle continued forward with barely a pause for breath. The howling wind gradually increased in ferocity, roaring as if trying to block their way. Yet the Milzette 500 paid it no mind, smoothly pulling up its legs to grasp the next rock edge and lifting its body in one motion. The metal body caught the light and reflected dully, sliding as if carving silver streaks on the black mountainside, giving off an almost eerie reliability.

“To the summit, just a little more… It might be good to shift to flight mode for the final stretch?”

Irina suggested. At those words, Sylvia briefly imagined the Milzette flying dashingly through the wide sky. The dark clouds had already passed beneath their feet and blue sky was beginning to show its face when—

“My lady, someone’s there!”

Sylvia pointed ahead. Right at the first peak of the black towering mountain range, at its summit, stood a peculiar traveler.

Black fur covered their entire body, with ears standing in sharp triangles atop their head, moving slightly as if exploring surrounding sounds. Though slender and supple in build, they stood lightly on two legs with no sign of losing balance. Yellow eyes gazed sharply around without a single blink, like a hunter. Small whiskers extended from the mouth, taut and occasionally trembling slightly. This peculiar traveler wore a sturdy-looking leather jacket and hat, carrying a large backpack.

“The instruments show we’re over 6000 meters in altitude. Since the fusion continent Abysion has various races, it might not be strange… but being alone at a mountain summit like this is odd. A traveler perhaps?”

“I don’t know, but…”

Though Irina hesitated with her words, her gaze wouldn’t leave the small figure standing at the summit.

“Still, being alone in a place like this isn’t normal. They might have important business, or perhaps need help—let’s check anyway.”

Saying this, Irina turned to Sylvia and smiled thinly. Despite the rather ominous situation, it was as if curiosity had overcome cold and fear. Irina quickly grabbed the Amalgam Disruptor at hand and jumped from the Milzette. She was already walking briskly toward the traveler.

Sylvia glanced sideways at Irina’s behavior and sighed softly. When curiosity ignited in her lady, she disregarded danger—this was Irina’s “bad habit.” Sylvia knew well that once she became interested in any place or being, she wouldn’t listen to anyone. Still, she couldn’t just leave her alone, so Sylvia had no choice but to hurry after her. The sight of Irina striding forward with the Amalgam Disruptor as if driven by instinct was reliable yet somehow precarious. Sylvia could only smile wryly while breaking into a cold sweat internally, thinking “When my lady gets like this, there’s no stopping her…”

Amid signs of wind and snow, Sylvia and Irina approached the traveler while maintaining their guard. In the freezing mountain summit air, that small figure gradually grew larger and emerged clearly. The traveler’s appearance exuded a somehow mysterious charm. Their tail swayed slightly, the movement suggesting constant curiosity about their surroundings. Eventually the traveler turned toward Irina and the others, their mouth loosening slightly.

“Oh my…?”

That smile seemed gentle at first glance, yet harbored an unfathomable composure. The voice echoing softly in the cold air simultaneously sprouted both slight wariness and interest in their chests.

“Well now, meeting young ladies at a mountain peak like this is quite a strange coincidence. Though in this fusion continent Abysion, perhaps no mystery is particularly unusual.”

It was a low, calm voice. Somewhat nonchalant, yet seeming to harbor profound knowledge and experience in those eyes.

“Still, I hear the temperature approaches minus 30 degrees at this altitude, yet you come in such light attire.”

At the traveler’s continuing words, Irina and Sylvia glanced at each other momentarily. They wore nothing unusual—though magically treated, Irina wore a thin dress with small accessories, while Sylvia wore simple maid’s clothing with a light stole.

“…Oh, pardon me. Being new to this continent, whenever I see races like yours, I tend to think in terms of my old home’s common sense. How rude of me.”

Seeing Irina and her companion’s reaction, the traveler seemed to realize something. The fusion continent Abysion was an impossibly vast continent. It wouldn’t be strange if different races with similar appearances to Irina and hers existed. Though apparently that race was vulnerable to temperature changes.

“Traveler, I believe we should first introduce ourselves to each other.”

When Irina carefully called out, the traveler shrugged slightly and bowed.

“How rude of me. I am Foldiano Luca Sasuke. My master was an eccentric and combined foreign words for this name. Friends call me Luca.”

A strange name, Irina thought internally. At least no similar names or race names existed in the Principality of Pheirozea or surrounding nations, nor in the Record Vaults within search range.

“I am Irina Vasines. Current head of the Vasines Marquis family, which has served the Principality of Pheirozea for generations.”

“And I am Sylvia, her personal maid. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

When Irina and Sylvia introduced themselves without dropping their guard, the traveler’s eyes widened slightly, then smiled like a child who had found something interesting.

“Well well, the young lady of a marquis family and her attendant. So this is the Principality of Pheirozea. I thought there were somewhat familiar landscapes and culture, but apparently there are connections to places I know.”

Saying this, the traveler who had introduced himself as Foldiano Luca Sasuke looked around for a moment. He had the atmosphere of one who had continued traveling following curiosity, gentle yet unfathomable. Seeing his figure, Irina and Sylvia began to lower their guard. They still didn’t know if he was friend or foe, but there was an endearing warmth in the edges of his words and actions.

The freezing mountain summit air was thin, the wind bitingly cold. Yet for just a moment, a warm atmosphere seemed to flow into the exchange between the three.