An Unsettling Sky

Waking from her strange dream, Azu clenched both hands experimentally.

She remembered everything that had just happened.

She immediately drew her sword and tested it.

"What's gotten into you? Rebellious phase?"

Elza watched Azu's behavior with a puzzled look.

Ignoring her, Azu took a stance.

Right now, she wanted to confirm this feeling as soon as possible.

When she tried to reproduce the sequence that had been drilled into her body in the dream, her movements flowed with startling naturalness.

She couldn't explain the logic behind it, but whatever had happened in that dream had been as close to reality as possible.

It was a mysterious phenomenon, but Azu didn't have the knowledge to make sense of it.

She decided there was no point dwelling on it and sheathed her sword.

She felt like she understood the Ash King's swordsmanship far more deeply than before.

Of course, understanding it didn't mean she'd caught up.

"That was impressive."

Elza said this and clapped.

"I had a strange dream."

"Hmm. More importantly, let's eat."

Elza didn't seem particularly interested.

She rummaged through her bag, pulled out a wrapped piece of smoked mutton, and began shaving off slices with a knife.

For a cleric, she had no qualms about using a blade.

When Azu asked about it, she got a puzzled look and a reply: "It'd be inconvenient not to, wouldn't it?"

"My mana is nearly fully recovered."

Alexia came over from deeper inside.

Her long meditation was finished, and her mana was fully restored.

At the same time, her stomach let out a charming growl.

She covered it with a cough.

"All right, water in here please."

Azu set the iron pot on the ground, the same one she'd been using since Yohane first gave it to her.

Before Alexia had joined them, they'd had to fill it with drinking water or scoop from rivers, which was a real ordeal.

She'd even gotten sick from river water once.

"Fine, fine."

Alexia directed a stream of water from her fingertip into the pot until it was about half full, then dropped a small fireball into the water.

Magically conjured fire didn't go out until its mana was spent.

The fireball was continuously doused, and by the time it died, the water in the pot was boiling.

"Thank you."

Azu cut hard-baked bread into pieces with a knife and dropped them into the pot.

The bread soaked up the hot water and went soft and mushy.

Elza tossed in the dried meat and stirred.

A sprinkle of crushed dried herbs, and the bread porridge was done.

Azu ladled it into a bowl, held it in her left hand, and approached Kazusa, who was still asleep.

Her complexion was bad. She seemed to be having a nightmare.

When Azu shook her shoulder with her free right hand, Kazusa's left hand reflexively lashed out toward her.

Azu caught it and held it firmly in place.

Only then did Kazusa's eyes flutter open.

"… Huh? Azu? Why are you… Oh, right."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Sorry. You can let go now."

Azu released her hand.

It must have been an aftereffect of the nightmares.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Can you eat this?"

"… I'll eat. I know I won't last if I don't."

Kazusa took the bowl from Azu and spooned the porridge into her mouth.

She nearly choked, but she forced herself to swallow.

Seeing that Kazusa could manage, Azu returned to the pot, served herself a portion, and ate.

The salt and the savory richness of the mutton came through, with a faint sweetness from the bread.

It wasn't enough to fill her up, but it staved off the hunger. She cleaned up afterward.

She finished the meal with her usual warm apple vinegar drink.

"All right, let's go."

The downtime hadn't been particularly long, but it had restored their energy well enough.

She retied her bootlaces and tapped her toes against the ground.

Good. I feel great.

Something about the way she moved her body had changed.

She felt like she could move faster and better than before.

"Azu?"

"Yes?"

Alexia was looking at her curiously.

"No, it's… How do I put this…"

She seemed to be struggling for words.

"Children grow fast, they say, but still… Never mind. It's nothing."

She dropped the subject.

Kazusa's complexion had improved a little after eating.

Since she herself insisted on coming along, they could hardly tell her to go back.

And truthfully, having her along was a help.

Kazusa's carrying capacity exceeded Azu, Elza, and Alexia's combined.

They'd learned just how valuable that was in the Wind Labyrinth.

They dissolved the barrier. Azu took point and slowly surveyed the surroundings.

Two Knight Zombies. Nothing else.

She signaled to the others with a gesture and advanced, drawing her sword.

One of the Knight Zombies reacted to the sound. She targeted it and swung her blade in a single clean arc.

She deflected its sword and struck the top of its head.

Undead or not, balance worked the same way.

Its stance crumbled and it toppled backward.

The second Knight Zombie raised its shield and charged in for a shield bash.

Azu kicked off the ground with both feet, went airborne, and planted both feet on the shield.

The momentum of the shield bash sent Azu flying deeper in, but as they passed each other, Alexia directed an area-of-effect fire spell at the enemies.

The fallen Knight Zombie was helplessly engulfed in flames.

The one with the shield braced behind it for cover.

By the time the fire died down, Elza had closed to just in front of the shield and purified the Knight Zombie with her miracle, ending the fight.

Compared to when they'd first arrived at the Hill of Lament, that had been remarkably quick.

The biggest difference was Azu.

"Ooh, that was easy. At this rate, we can push way deeper."

"I suppose so."

"You really are getting stronger…"

The three of them each had their own reaction to Azu's performance.

Feeling slightly self-conscious about the praise, Azu picked up a mithril shard from where the Knight Zombies had been.

She wondered how much one of these was worth.

Yohane had specifically directed them to this location.

There was no doubt it was a lucrative spot.

"Mithril really is beautiful."

Kazusa said this as Azu admired the shard.

"Yeah. It's got that slight iridescent shimmer to it."

It was most commonly used for weapons and armor due to its durability and hardness, but it was popular for jewelry as well.

Mithril ore was extremely difficult to mine compared to burning stone, so monster drops were also an important source of supply, or so she'd heard from Yohane.

She stowed it in her bag and pressed onward.

The sky remained that same unsettlingly blue expanse, unchanged.

But after they'd advanced quite a distance, a change finally appeared.

The moment they stepped onto the path leading to the tip of the Hill of Lament —

"The sky is red…"

A vivid red like fresh blood. Compared to the blue of moments before, it was nothing short of ominous.

Azu swallowed hard to mask her tension.

"Let's keep going."

She said it as if seeking her companions' agreement.

Their answer was a unanimous nod.

The monsters, too, had changed.

Splotches of red now marred the previously white armor of the Knight Zombies.

The Slimes had turned a dark, blackish red.

The aura they gave off made it clear: they had been strengthened.