Chapter 13.1

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The North was teeming with monsters. While every border region of the Empire had its share, the North’s abundance and ferocity were unmatched.

Even though two centuries had passed since the fall of the barbarian alliances and monster armies that ushered in the Age of Savagery, and despite humanity now waging wars more often with itself than with monsters, the North remained locked in its eternal battle against barbarism.

Particularly, the Demonic Realm, filled with ancient dungeons from the Golden Era, served as a sanctuary for monsters.

Even as the Age of Silver dawned, the mysterious energies of ancient dungeons and the North’s vast deposits of magic stones allowed rare and powerful monsters to be born, evolve, and thrive.

Rare often translates to valuable, but in this case, it also meant dangerous.

Thus, the Demonic Realm constantly attracted adventurers, mercenaries, and treasure hunters from across the continent (especially the Empire), all seeking fortune.

—

“Huff… huff… Ancestors, please save this poor descendant!”

Trevis, a C-rank adventurer from the North, stumbled through the vast Demonic Realm.

“T-Trevis… wait, wait for us!”

Behind him trailed his party of fellow adventurers and mercenaries.

“I’m so hungry… so dizzy from hunger…”

“Stew… warm Arad Stew… I’d pay a silver for it, no, even more!”

“Damn it! I’ve lost all feeling in my wounded arm. Please, ancestors! I’ll offer you better sacrifices from now on!”

The group of four hadn’t started this way.

Initially, the party had seven members, including porters. But that was before tragedy struck.

In the mid-region of the Demonic Realm, their porters had been ambushed and killed by monsters, losing most of their supplies—food, water, and medicine.

From there, their plight spiraled downward.

Now, they were starving, injured, and ill-equipped to survive. Their wounds were festering, reeking with decay, and they had no way to properly treat or clean them.

The only solace was the snow around them, which kept them from succumbing to thirst.

Shuffle, shuffle…

Trevis’s party trudged forward like a horde of zombies.

“I can’t collapse here! If we sell these rare monster materials we’re carrying, we could start a small shop in Haven!”

Trevis gritted his teeth, fueled by determination.

But his comrades thought differently.

“We’re done for.”

“If we meet monsters or bandits in this state, it’s over.”

“Even if we make it to Haven, we’ll be wrecks by then.”

“I just want to lie down and sleep forever…”

Suddenly, Trevis stopped in his tracks.

“What…?”

His voice faltered as he stared ahead.

“Ancestors, help me! Am I hallucinating now? I’m seeing things…”

In the distance, a golden carriage was crossing the Demonic Realm.

It wasn’t a mirage.

“A carriage… in the Demonic Realm?”

“Ancestors, is this truly not a dream?”

“Is that carriage plated in gold? How wealthy must the owner be?”

Yet, the sight was so surreal it felt almost unreal. A carriage gilded in gold, traversing the dangerous terrain of the Demonic Realm, defied logic.

“…”

“…”

Trevis and his party stared in awe as the golden carriage approached.

“It’s not gold?”

“It’s a golden hue, but the color is different.”

“And the horses pulling it… they look ordinary.”

“Ordinary horses? In the Demonic Realm? Impossible!”

When the carriage came closer, they could see it was unlike anything they’d ever encountered.

“Greetings!”

A man driving the carriage called out to them.

He was a young man with black hair and eyes, possessing a striking, sharp-featured appearance.

“H-Hello! Are you… a mage?”

Trevis and his party immediately adopted a deferential attitude.

“Welcome to Arad’s Golden Carriage, strangers. To meet me in this vast Demonic Realm, you must be quite fortunate.”

The man, introducing himself as Arad, accepted their reverence as if it were natural.

“Wait… Arad? As in… Arad Stew?”

It dawned on the group. Back in Haven, they’d tasted the legendary Arad Stew at Jack’s Inn.

They had vowed to indulge in as much as they could afford upon returning safely.

“Are you truly the chef Arad from Jack’s Inn?”

To meet the creator of such heavenly food in the middle of the Demonic Realm left them speechless.

“I knew he wasn’t an ordinary person!”

“He must be some hidden archmage living in seclusion.”

“His youthful appearance must be an illusion, crafted with magic.”

“Cooking and healing were probably just hobbies!”

The group’s awe deepened, convinced that Arad was a mage or some extraordinary figure.

“You’re right. That’s me.”

Arad smirked slyly, realizing it was easier to let their misconceptions stand.

“You seem to be in need of supplies. Arad’s Golden Carriage offers food, drinks, healing, and equipment repairs. …Though it’s not cheap.”

The golden carriage, it seemed, was a mobile supply depot.

“Expensive, you say? How much?”

“What kind of food and drinks are you selling?”

Trevis and his party, salivating at the thought of food and drink, eagerly leaned into Arad’s offer.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“You must be thirsty, no?”

Arad hopped down from the driver’s seat and walked to the back of the carriage.

“Sometimes showing is better than a thousand words.”