NOVEL NEXT Ch. 7
Rozelite ate her roasted meat with delight.
Though only seasoned with simple spices made from whatever was on hand, for someone who hadn’t eaten in so long, it was a feast.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest…
A party of adventurers from the royal capital was trudging through the heavy snow.
The northern reaches of the Rhine Kingdom were locked in perpetual cold. Harsh border regulations, the bone-piercing climate, and the fact that this was the kingdom’s far northern frontier all meant most merchants and adventurers avoided the area.
And those who did come usually stayed near the scattered few towns, venturing only into the relatively safe surroundings.
The long, gray-white Muscovy Mountain Range stretched across the horizon like a natural barrier, clearly dividing the kingdom’s northern borderlands from the demon territories beyond. With its unforgiving environment and the ferocious monsters prowling its peaks, any idea of marching an army across was nearly impossible.
Still, for some powerful and seasoned warriors or magicians, crossing the range alone was not unthinkable.
The potential risk couldn’t be ignored.
Thus, the Rhine Royal Magic Academy, in cooperation with the Magic Association, had established a colossal magical barrier stretching thousands of miles beneath the Muscovy Mountains. An invisible wall that sealed the demons beyond it.
Since then, the demons had indeed been unable to push south into the kingdom. But the barrier was still a construct of magic—time wore down its energy and structural integrity.
Every three years, the kingdom dispatched a dedicated maintenance team of barrier-specialized mages to perform careful upkeep. Without fail.
Only this year, the team had yet to arrive.
The reason was simple.
During a recent survey of Dieppe Forest, investigators uncovered alarming news—
There were signs of an S-rank monster deep inside.
S-rank monsters were immensely powerful, extremely rare.
They almost never appeared under normal conditions, except perhaps in long-abandoned dead zones where no humans roamed—or emerging from the deepest levels of a labyrinth. And indeed, ancient, unmapped labyrinths were rumored to exist inside Dieppe Forest.
To fight an S-rank monster, only an elite squad of S-rank adventurers could suffice.
Given the potential threat, the Rhine Kingdom and Magic Association decided: send the nation’s strongest adventurer party into Dieppe first, eliminate the danger, and only then dispatch the barrier team as planned.
Not everyone agreed. It wasn’t the most efficient decision. But objections were dismissed.
And really, few were surprised. Knowledge was monopolized by the nobility, and magic—especially barrier magic—was firmly in their hands. While noble mages did know battle magic, their pride made them loathe working alongside those they deemed crude, vulgar adventurers.
Of course, not everyone was happy with this arrangement.
“Those pompous nobles really think they’re above everything—spouting incomprehensible nonsense all day long. I’ve had enough!”
Winnie pulled her cloak tight against the cold, her breath fogging the frigid air. She stamped her boots angrily.
“If they’d bother using that smooth cortex of theirs, they’d never make such idiotic decisions!”
“They act like they’re doing us a favor. Who doesn’t know? Every time there’s a barrier inspection, they just glance at the mountains from afar and call it a day! Maintenance? More like sightseeing!”
“Well, fine by me. Better than having them around getting in the way!”
Her endless tirade echoed through the snowy trail, boots crunching in rhythm.
Thomas, walking just ahead, sighed. He scratched his reddened ears.
He’d heard Winnie rant this same complaint a hundred times during their month-long trek north. His ears practically had calluses.
And the farther they got from the capital, the less inclined he felt to hush the hot-tempered swordswoman. After all, everyone more or less thought the same—every last noble lord was an idiot.
At the front, Chris cleared the snow with a portable long-handled broom, creating a safe path while her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
Suddenly, she stopped, narrowing her gaze ahead.
Through sparse falling snow, the outline of a deep forest of towering, pale-barked spruces emerged into view.
“We’re here.”
Chris’s voice cut sharply across the silence.
Thomas nodded. His weathered face betrayed no emotion.
He quickened his pace, passed the still-fuming Winnie, and patted her shoulder, signaling her to hold her tongue.
“Though we’ve said it many times on the road, I’ll repeat it once more before entering.”
He turned to the three behind him. The massive greatsword strapped to his back gleamed like a gravestone under the snowlight.
“Our target may very well be an S-rank monster.”
“We have little intel, and what we have is unreliable. So our first task is reconnaissance—gathering information. Once we have reliable intel, we’ll formulate the proper tactics, then launch a second, decisive strike.”
His gaze fell on the party’s rear.
“Kate—especially you. Don’t go charging at every rustle. Understood?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Kate replied lazily, hands folded behind his back. He glanced at his teammates.
Thomas, the towering warrior with a massive greatsword, their immovable front line.
Chris, the nimble rogue with a belt full of delicate tools, their scout, trap specialist, and problem-solver.
Winnie, the fiery swordswoman, quick-footed and responsible for flanks, harassment, and fast support.
And finally himself—Kate, the slim, sharp-eared archer carrying a longbow and quiver, tasked with precision strikes, rear guard, and long-range scouting.
The team’s composition was well-rounded. With proper execution and teamwork, even an S-rank monster shouldn’t be able to overwhelm them.
Still, Kate didn’t think Thomas’s reminders were pointless.
Adventuring was dancing on the edge of a blade. Every big commission was life and death. One mistake, one slip, and the entire party could perish—just another tavern tale for others to laugh about.
In this line of work, there was no such thing as “too cautious.”
“Then—stay sharp. Move out.”
Thomas’s calm command carried them into the forest.
…
…
Elsewhere, night had deepened.
Rozelite lay with hands folded on her stomach, eyes half-closed, breathing calm and steady.
Clearly, she was sleeping soundly.
A tiny tentacle tipped with an eyeball dangled from her lips, swiveling now and then like a sentry keeping watch.
After a while, Russell studied Rozelite’s body thoughtfully.
“If not through the throat…”
“Would the belly button work? Functionally, it should be fine.”
No way he’d go out the back door…
Then another idea struck him.
His gaze shifted down to Rozelite’s petite, faintly flushed feet.
After a moment of thought, he extended a tentacle…