Chapter 15: Making Camp
If she hadn't been there, the Sky-Winged woman probably wouldn't have given Rhodes a second glance. It was only because of her, an elf, that Leah had bothered to answer their questions and even offered a parting warning.
Rhodes, of course, understood this perfectly well. From start to finish, the winged messenger had never truly looked at him. But he couldn't help but chuckle at Serie's comparison.
"At least she acknowledged that I was human," he said, counting on his fingers. "Dwarves, elves, Sky-Winged... let's add a priest to the list. After all, they're the only ones who can interpret the Goddess's holy scripture and use healing magic."
"A priest?" Serie suddenly stopped walking, a dangerous curve forming on her lips beneath her veil. "Are you sure you want to travel with someone who prattles on about the Goddess's teachings all day?"
Why could priests interpret the scripture bestowed by the Goddess? The main reason was their unwavering piety, which allowed them to hear the voice of the divine. Under the guidance of the gods, they could learn and use the magic recorded in the holy scripture. As a result, every last one of them was an insufferable, proselytizing fanatic.
"Er..." Rhodes imagined the scene and quickly shook his head. "On second thought, maybe not." He took a water skin from his pack and offered it to Serie. "Want some? I added a bit of honey."
It was a gift from nature they had found on their journey. A simple fire spell had allowed him to procure the honey without any trouble.
Serie took the water skin and lifted her veil for a small sip. "A little too sweet," she commented, but took another drink before handing it back.
"By the way," Rhodes said, tightening the cap on the water skin, "is this swamp very large? We're not going to have to spend the night here, are we?"
They were trying their best to stay away from the center of the Swamp of Death, but the number of insects showed no sign of decreasing. Rhodes didn't even want to imagine the torture of camping in such an environment.
"If we pick up the pace, we might be able to get out before dark. But that's only if your map is accurate."
With a hundred-year-old map and the high concentration of magical beasts, Rhodes couldn't be certain the terrain hadn't changed. He took out the map Amuro had given him and studied it carefully. "According to the map, there should be a highland up ahead. If we can't make it out today, we can camp there."
Serie leaned in for a look, her golden hair brushing against Rhodes's cheek. "That area is likely occupied by magical beasts by now."
Rhodes nodded, conceding her point. "Then let's try a different spot. What about here? It's closer to the center, but there's a small stream. It should be a good place to camp."
A hint of distaste colored Serie's voice. "Is there anywhere we can go that doesn't have these annoying little creatures?"
Rhodes didn't answer, just smiled. They were in a swamp, after all. A place without insects was an impossibility. But he had already considered this.
He patted the large pack on his back. "Don't worry. I'll set up a small tent for you later."
"A tent?" Serie had never heard the word before.
"It's nothing. You'll see soon enough."
They quickened their pace. The air in the swamp grew heavier and more humid. They encountered several magical beasts along the way, but Rhodes managed to avoid them all with his detection spell. This, however, slowed them down considerably, and it soon became clear that they wouldn't be making it out of the swamp today.
Rhodes periodically used a long stick to poke the ground ahead of him, testing each step to avoid hidden patches of quicksand. He also carefully navigated around puddles, ensuring Serie's white robes remained clean. She watched all of this, and the look in her eyes softened.
"Wait!" he suddenly crouched down, pointing at the ground. "Look at this footprint."
Serie leaned down to examine it. "Not a magical beast. It's a small animal, and it was here recently."
"Looks like this swamp isn't completely overrun with monsters after all. I was beginning to think all the normal creatures had been killed off."
"That's impossible. While magical beasts act on instinct, they aren't always in a state of bloodthirsty rage. Most of the time, they are in a semi-dormant state. They only become frenzied when they sense an unfamiliar presence."
Serie's explanation gave Rhodes a deeper understanding of the magical beasts. No wonder races like the elves and the Sky-Winged were only now putting aside their disputes to join forces against them. It was because most of the beasts stayed within their own territories and didn't pose a direct threat. It was only with the emergence of the highly intelligent Demon race that they had been forced to take the threat seriously.
"So the Wolvenfiends that attacked Amuro's village were a special case?"
Serie thought for a moment and concluded that Rhodes wasn't wrong. "You could say that. Those Wolvenfiends are part of a nomadic group, even among magical beasts. They could have sprung up from any corner of the world."
"If that's the case, I'm surprised they haven't gone extinct. Do they have some special method of reproduction?" Given that the Wolvenfiends they had fought were completely mindless creatures of instinct, Rhodes was curious how they had managed to spread across the entire world.
"A normal wolf becomes tainted by the abyss and degenerates into a mindless demonic wolf. Some of the stronger individuals among those then evolve into what you call 'Wolvenfiends.'"
"I see."
Chatting as they walked, they rounded a thicket of bushes and found themselves before a small stream. Looking at the sun, Rhodes saw that they still had a bit of daylight left, but there was no need to push themselves.
Serie activated her detection spell. "There are a fair number of magical beasts around. If we light a fire, it will likely attract them."
Rhodes studied the number of red dots on Serie's magic circle. "In that case, how about we clear out the nearby beasts first and then set up an alarm spell?"
"That is acceptable." Serie took the initiative. It was a task she was best suited for.
After silently dispatching the last magical beast within a hundred-meter radius, Serie scanned the area to confirm it was safe before returning to Rhodes's side.
"What are you doing?"
Rhodes was holding some nail-like objects. Beside him lay a pile of thick, gray cloth. He was wrapping a rope around one of the stakes and then driving it into the ground.
"Setting up the tent. Just a moment."
Seeing how busy Rhodes was, Serie didn't bother him further. "I will go gather some firewood."
"Wait," Rhodes called out, pulling a cloth bag from his pack. "Take this. And see if you can find any edible mushrooms on the way. Swamps are a good place for them."
Serie took the bag, the corner of her mouth twitching. "How am I supposed to know which mushrooms are edible?"
"Anything growing on trees should be fine to pick. Don't touch any of the brightly colored ones. I'll sort through them when you get back."
"You certainly know a lot about these things," Serie said with genuine admiration.
"Of course!" Rhodes replied without a hint of modesty. After all, he had lived alone in this fantasy world for half a year. He could rightly call himself a wilderness survival expert.