TMLITTKM | CHAPTER 136

[CHAPTER 136]

He quickly gathered several magical tools from the shelves in the secret room.

Gloves, a sword, shoes, and a cloak to conceal his appearance—all were packed into a small bag.

He couldn’t depart immediately, but he prepared so that if any news came or danger arose, he could leave at once.

Vincent carried the bag out and closed the door of the secret room.

The secret room, hidden behind the bookshelf, was now perfectly concealed.

Meanwhile, the orb on the desk stopped shimmering.

The letter Vincent had written had been fully transmitted.

Standing still, he looked at the letter he had written and ran his hand over it.

*Hopefully, nothing happens before the next meeting.*

* * *

The next morning, I left the lodging thoroughly prepared, even more so than the day before.

I packed food, water, luminous stones that could act as a flashlight, and a small dagger into my bag.

Sylvia seemed to take all her luggage as it was.

*She’s a mage, so she can probably handle emergencies with magic.*

I glanced sideways at Sylvia, wearing a thick coat and checking herself in the mirror.

*She won’t abandon it… will she?*

Sylvia met my eyes in the mirror, smiled, and turned around.

“Are you ready? Shall we go now?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Fortunately, it was less cold than yesterday, so traveling wasn’t bad.

I could reach the place I had confirmed yesterday without a map, at least for now.

I walked briskly along the upper stream of the river.

At first, the path was gentle, like a hiking trail, but gradually the terrain became more rugged.

As my breath grew heavier, Sylvia, walking calmly beside me, spoke.

“Isn’t it time to tell me? What exactly are you looking for?”

“Ah.”

*Right, I was going to tell her today.*

Instead of answering, I showed her the red magical stone bracelet on my wrist.

“We’re going to find this. I heard there’s a mine full of these somewhere.”

“Magical stones?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Her expression showed she didn’t quite understand.

Currently, the known function of magical stones was merely to emit light when reacting to magic.

They had been used in magical tracks or alert devices, but beyond that, they were mostly just ornamental red gems.

So it might have been hard for Sylvia to understand why I had traveled so far just to find them.

*But in the original story, Sylvia is the one who discovers the true purpose of these stones.*

I smiled instead of explaining.

“Let’s go for now.”

“Yes, okay.”

Sylvia didn’t question further, though her tone hinted at some curiosity.

“Walking in pursuit of light, do not stop your steps. Where silver waves flow, and stars fall to the earth… Are we those who walk chasing the light?”

I didn’t respond; she seemed not to expect one, and just continued walking beside me.

We arrived at the place where we had stopped exploring yesterday.

The terrain was rugged, with dense bushes obscuring the ground and high stacked stones forming small hills.

I glanced at Sylvia. I was panting heavily, while she remained calm and composed.

*Is it her stamina? I envy that.*

I looked at the rocky hill blocking our path.

*We need to get over this hill. Is there another way around?*

As I alternated my gaze between the map and the hill, Sylvia slid closer.

“Do we have to go over here?”

“Yes, for now.”

“Hmm, then would you like to use this?”

Sylvia took out two round pieces of paper from her bag.

“What’s this?”

“Ah, it’s the same as on my shoes.”

She lifted her foot slightly, showing the soles with the patches attached.

“It makes walking easier. These patches alone should be enough.”

“Oh, so that’s why.”

*So that’s why she had been so calm all this time. If I’d known, I should have asked sooner.*

“I thought you were incredibly strong, Sylvia. You walked so well.”

“I actually thought the princess was stronger than expected.”

She extended the patches toward me. I sat on a low rock and attached them to both feet.

Walking a few steps after putting them on, my eyes widened.

“How is it?”

“Wow, amazing.”

My legs felt much lighter, and I could move faster with less effort.

Even on inclined rocks, I didn’t slip.

“I should have given these to you earlier.”

I smiled at her embarrassed laugh.

*I should have given them earlier; the journey here was exhausting.*

“No, thank you. This will make things much easier.”

I stepped onto the rocky hill. It was no longer slippery, and I climbed easily.

Reaching the top, about five times my height, I could see beyond.

A wide field of silver reeds stretched out before us.

“Where silver waves flow, and stars fall to the earth…”

Hearing Sylvia softly recite, I realized the “silver waves” were literal.

The tops of the reeds swayed in the wind, reflecting sunlight like waves.

It looked like water rippling, and under the midday sun, it seemed as if starlight had fallen to the ground.

Sylvia also stood quietly, marveling at the swaying reeds.

“This is… amazing.”

“So that’s where the phrase ‘stars fall to the earth’ comes from.”

I murmured while scanning the surroundings.

*The legend says we must follow the light, but where exactly?*

Many legends are metaphorical, so I couldn’t take them literally.

I decided to set aside the legend and opened the map.

I recalled the original story.

*The red rocky mountains and cliffs match this location. It mentions something being wet, so we need to pass the water.*

“Princess, look over there.”

Sylvia pointed to a thin stream flowing at the foot of the red cliff on the edge of the silver reed field.

“That should be the river’s uppermost stream. Shall we head that way?”

“Do you feel anything?”

Perhaps she sensed something as a mage.

“Hmm, not exactly, but the red color around there might be influenced by the magical stones.”

“That makes sense.”

*Since she discovers these things herself in the original story, I’ll trust her instincts.*

*Maybe I should give her more responsibility… but how much?*

I calculated in my mind as we descended the hill.

The ground was covered in reeds, requiring us to push through them individually.

Thanks to the patches on our shoes, walking felt much easier.

As we approached, the red color covered not only the cliff but also the streambed.

But it wasn’t just red paint.

Tiny gem-like particles clung to the rocks and streambed.

“Ah, could these be magical stones?”

Sylvia nodded and lightly reached out her hand.

The red particles shimmered faintly at her gesture.