“This should be good enough. Let’s unpack and settle here.”
At Rieka’s declaration, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Even I, who had been using various spells to support my steps and conserve stamina, had found this journey grueling enough to consider raising my health stat at the achievement shop. So it was only natural that everyone was exhausted.
As Rieka gathered the backpacks scattered across the ground and organized them, she gave a warning.
“You can rest however you like, but don’t let your guard down too much. This is the deepest part of Ground Zero. Anything could happen here.”
“Like what, for example?”
“Like a slimy tentacle suddenly dropping from the sky and snatching the person next to you.”
“Eek!”
“Just kidding, just kidding. Though something like that did happen once. It was just a giant snake. There were trees nearby it could climb, but everyone let their guard down.”
“That’s still terrifying…”
“I said it to scare you. Even when you rest, stay alert. Got it?”
The students all answered in unison, “Yes,” but not a single one of them actually got up or even pretended to look around.
Rieka let out a sigh.
“I’m going to scout the area and see if I can find something to eat. In the meantime, Professor, at least you keep an eye on the students.”
“Very well.”
Ground Zero was the origin of the magical disaster, and the closer one got to its center, the more dangerous it became.
Unidentifiable magical phenomena would occur and threaten intruders, and it was also home to countless beasts and monsters rarely found elsewhere.
In particular, the flora and fauna here had gained special powers from the immense magical energy permeating the land, making the place unimaginably dangerous.
However, not long after setting out to scout, Rieka returned with a magical beast she had hunted.
As casually as if she had just pulled a turnip from a garden, she appeared carrying a chunk of meat dripping with blood.
“Let’s have this for dinner. I brought the tastiest cut.”
“Is that a unicorn horn hanging from your waist?”
“This? Yeah. Just pulled it out. It’s supposed to be an expensive magical material, so I took it… Interested? Want to buy one right now?”
“You’re really trying to sell something that still has flesh attached and is dripping blood.”
“Tch. Then why’d you ask?”
“I was about to say I’m impressed you managed to hunt such a dangerous magical beast in that short time.”
Rieka let out a small laugh.
“I’ve got to be at least this capable to make a living. Honestly, I wanted to take the hide too, but it would’ve taken too long, so I gave up.”
Rieka, a top-ranked adventurer in the guild, was one of the strongest companion NPCs even in Candela of Judgment, so while she might not match Josephine in pure swordsmanship, in terms of overall combat ability, she wouldn’t fall far behind.
She was someone I’d want to hire as an escort even outside of Ground Zero.
Of course, since Rieka had a rule against fighting people, that was just wishful thinking.
“Anyway, let’s start a fire and get this meat cooking while we set up camp—”
Rieka, having noticed the group fast asleep and breathing softly, let out a sigh.
“…Yeah, figures.”
The students were so deeply asleep that they wouldn’t have noticed even if someone carried them off, but as soon as Rieka started cooking the meat she had brought, they began to stir one by one, sniffing the air.
“Something smells good…”
“Where did this meat come from?”
“I got it for you. Though with a noble lady and a princess here, I’m not sure it’ll suit your tastes. Feels a bit wrong to serve you tough, smelly meat… maybe I should just keep it for myself.”
As Rieka teased mischievously, Estelle immediately straightened up with a serious expression.
“That’s not a problem at all. Actually, I quite like strong-smelling meat.”
“I usually don’t eat meat without my personal spice set…”
“Then I’ll take your portion, Stephanie.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it, you greedy redhead!”
“Alright, alright, calm down. The meat’s not ready yet anyway. And before that….haven’t you heard the saying, ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat’?”
“Don’t tell me…”
“What do you mean ‘don’t tell me’? Get up and help prepare the camp. Start by clearing the stones where you’ll be lying down. Shame there’s no well or stream nearby for fresh water. If we had enough, we could knead some flour for bread or make stew.”
“If it’s something like that, leave it to us.”
“Leave it to you?”
“Yes. We can just create water with magic.”
Shannon stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves.
The other students followed suit.
After enduring tasteless rations and half-hearted meals throughout the journey, the thought of finally having a proper meal filled them with renewed energy.
Jacqueline started the fire, Shannon filled the pot by creating water, and the others raised walls with earth magic to reinforce the campsite’s defenses.
Rieka clapped her hands in admiration.
“Wow, I’m impressed all over again. I had no idea mages could be such convenient companions. Would be nice if I could bring one along all the time.”
“I’m not so sure. No matter how much you pay, I doubt any mage would want to work in a place like this.”
“Really? I think the exact opposite. Aren’t mages the kind of creatures who’d risk their lives just to satisfy their curiosity? Ground Zero is where the ancient magical kingdom fell. Seems like the perfect place for them to investigate.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
“But you hardly ever see mages hiring the Adventurers’ Guild for a Ground Zero guide request. Could it be that the mages of Karaf don’t even know about this place?”
“That’s unlikely.”
Shannon answered.
“There are mages in Karaf who are interested in Ground Zero. There’s even a school of study dedicated to it. But it’s fallen into decline, and now only a handful of researchers remain.”
“It collapsed? Why?”
“Because none of the mages who set out to investigate ever came back.”
“Tch. Well, Ground Zero is a pretty dangerous place.”
At Rieka’s remark, Shannon shook her head.
“The expedition teams that went to study the ancient kingdom included seventh-class mages, the best of their time. What we went through today was certainly dangerous, but a team like that would have handled it without much trouble. Just like Professor Winslet and Ms. Rieka did.”
“Then why didn’t they make it back to Karaf?”
“Maybe they liked it here and decided to stay…”
At Jacqueline’s comment, Rieka scoffed.
“Hah. I make a living here, and even I can’t stand this place. No way they liked it.”
Shannon nodded.
“Still, I’d rather that be the case. Because if not, it would mean there’s something here that even 7th-class mages couldn’t handle.”
“……”
As the group fell silent in tension, Rieka clapped her hands to lighten the mood.
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, the foremost expert on Ground Zero, you’ll all be safe. The reason that expedition failed was probably because they didn’t have a guide like me. Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking of starting a travel agency specializing in Ground Zero tours soon. What do you think, young mages? If word about the gateway we passed through today gets out, don’t you think Karaf will be thrown into an uproar?”
Just as Rieka, carried away with excitement, began rambling about her business plans, the juices dripping from the meat hit the campfire and sizzled as they evaporated.
“Looks like it’s finally done.”
Whistling, Rieka pulled out a knife and began slicing off pieces from the outside of the large chunk of meat, placing portions onto each of their plates.
“Thank you.”
“Eat as much as you can. We’ll be walking all day again tomorrow.”
“Ugh.”
Objectively speaking, the monster meat didn’t taste good.
The lingering smell of blood that hadn’t fully drained, along with the distinct gamey odor typical of carnivorous beasts, was overwhelming.
Still, hunger is the best seasoning, so they devoured all the meat, leaving behind only a single large leg bone.
“Eating makes me sleepy. Maybe it’s because it’s warm by the fire.”
“It’s already getting chilly. It’ll be even colder at night, right?”
“But we set up that wall earlier, so the wind shouldn’t be as bad.”
Since wild beasts might be drawn to the firelight, they had to put out the fire after cooking.
Because the wasteland was hot during the day and cold at night, many had suffered from the cold whenever they went to sleep.
Rieka, who had been listening to the students’ conversation, stood up and quietly walked off somewhere.
A short while later, when she returned, she was carrying an armful of small stones.
“What are those?”
“What else? A bundle of treasures that’ll keep us warm tonight.”
Jacqueline spoke up.
“A bundle of treasures… They’re not something like animal droppings, are they?”
“What?”
“In the countryside, people sometimes use cow dung as fuel.”
“What an unfortunate thing to say. These are far better than that.”
When Rieka opened her arms, a pile of stones with various shimmering colors spilled onto the ground.
“These are—!”
Jacqueline, who had let out an exclamation, muttered a second too late.
“…What was it again?”
“Oh, Jacqueline.”
“No, I think I’ve seen it in a textbook before. I just can’t remember the name.”
“This is Caraphite.”
“Caraphite? Ms. Rieka, where did you get all of this?”
“Where else? I picked it up nearby.”
At Rieka’s words, the students exchanged puzzled looks.
Rieka continued.
“You didn’t know? Caraphite is common in Ground Zero. There’s so much of it lying around you could practically kick it with your feet. Thanks to that, we even use it as heating fuel like this.”
After gathering the Caraphite into a pile, Rieka took out a magic scroll from her pocket and tore it.
Soon, warmth began to flow from the Caraphite.
“It’s a good way to get heat without light or fire.”
“That’s nice!”
By the time they finished tidying up after the meal, there wasn’t a single student who wasn’t nodding off.
After covering each of them with blankets, Rieka stamped out the campfire with her foot and walked over to me.
“You should get some sleep too. Even if you don’t show it, you’re tired, right? You look like some sheltered bookworm who’s never had a hard day in your life, so I thought you wouldn’t last, but you held out pretty well.”
“And you’re one to talk. You haven’t slept a wink since we entered Ground Zero, have you?”
“You knew?”
Rieka spat out what she had been chewing and grinding in her mouth.
It was an herb with a stimulating effect.
“It’s kind of a habit.”
“That one will take care of the watch, so get some sleep for once.”
Where I gestured, Trisha was sitting atop a stone pillar in the ruined remains, swinging her legs.
Seeing this, Rieka shrugged.
“Well, that’s reassuring. She won’t sink her fangs into my neck while I sleep, right?”
Rieka and I shared a brief laugh before each heading off to get our sleeping bags.
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