Early in the morning, I got out of bed and, while having breakfast in the inn’s restaurant on the first floor, finished reading the book I hadn’t finished yesterday.
“The End of the World…”
The language and culture of the elves, the war between the dark magicians and the elves, and more.
Through the book, I gained various kinds of knowledge, but the one that intrigued me the most was undoubtedly the Storm Wall that supposedly lies at the end of the world.
No witnesses, a legend passed down through pictures, writings, and oral stories for a very long time.
Legends change depending on the taste of the one telling the story, the preferences of the one recording it.
That’s how legends are passed down.
Where does the truth end and the lies begin?
Is this storybook telling the truth?
I can’t know the answer until I reach the legend myself.
The elves exist.
The seeds of the World Tree are real as well.
The small blessing of wind that wrapped around my body and the warmth I felt from my pocket were proof of that.
But what does the Storm Wall at the end of the world truly mean?
This world is round. Like Earth, with the existence of gravity, this fact will not change.
If you keep going, you’ll eventually return to where you started. But the “end of the world”?
For someone like me, with the mind of a modern person, it’s an incomprehensible concept.
Still, should I not search for it?
I closed the book and stood up.
Dressed lightly, I left the inn and began to gather information about the end of the world by wandering around the city.
However, my first step in gathering information already faced a problem: the places mentioned as the end of the world were not just one.
I spread out a large map and looked at the areas labeled “end of the world.”
First, the northern end: the “Grimshade Kingdom,” known as the Land of the Dead, a territory ruled by exiled dark magicians and the demons who followed them.
Since the elves fled after fighting the dark magicians, this was not the place.
Next, I looked at the southern end: the “Greenpool,” the land of barbarians.
It was ruled by orcs who valued warriors and honor.
I tilted my head as I examined the Greenpool region.
Unlike the Grimshade Kingdom, which lacked detailed location names, Greenpool had fairly detailed ones.
It seemed that the relationship between humans and orcs wasn’t so bad here.
I took a small pencil and circled a place labeled [Storm Valley].
Next, I examined the western end: the “Monster Island,” an uncharted territory.
It was a land ravaged by violent mana storms and home to powerful monsters, which is why it had remained undeveloped. Strong adventurers constantly ventured into this land.
Like the Grimshade Kingdom, this place also lacked proper location names.
The last place was the eastern end: the sea filled with thick fog, “Blue Veil.”
It was a mysterious sea where thick fog drifted, and every ship that set out to explore it had disappeared without a trace.
Since no one had returned, it seemed no one knew whether there was a continent at the end of that sea.
I rubbed my chin as I examined the map.
The book with the story of the elves only mentioned that they had gone toward the end of the world, so I couldn’t know exactly where that was.
However, applying the process of elimination, two places seemed likely.
Greenpool and Monster Island.
I began looking for a way to reach these two regions. I had no other tasks here, and I intended to leave soon.
After gathering the information, I learned that a ship heading to Monster Island departs from the Karma Empire’s port approximately every six months, while Greenpool, the land of barbarians, was a place you could reach without a ship.
If I left this city and kept running endlessly, I would eventually reach Greenpool.
The destination was decided.
I wandered through the market, buying preserved food that would last as long as possible.
Carrying a large bag, I made my way to the inn’s stable.
Nightmare was taking a nap, but unlike the other horses, it had its head tilted toward the sky.
As I approached and lightly tapped its belly, large, bright eyes blinked open.
Nightmare licked its tongue and rolled its red eyes around.
“I’m going right now. Wake up.”
Whoosh—
It shook its head and kicked its legs as if refusing to get up.
It seemed like it wanted to sleep a little longer.
Just a day ago, this same creature had been eager to run.
I placed my hand on my waist and stared down at it.
Hee-ing—
After a while, Nightmare began to get up, eyeing me cautiously.
It was quite cute, wriggling around with its massive, muscular body.
I started piling a large load of supplies onto its back.
Nightmare was strong, capable of carrying more weight than an ordinary pack horse.
As soon as I finished loading the supplies, I climbed onto its back, using the stable wall to help me.
It was a riding technique I had naturally mastered due to my small height.
“Shall we go?”
Nightmare seemed displeased with the current situation of leaving so soon, as it kicked the large door open when exiting the stable.
The door, which looked light, split open with a loud crack and flew off.
The flying door rolled into the stable, creating a loud crashing noise, which caused the other horses that were resting to start neighing.
“Hey…”
Hee-ing!
Nightmare took off, sticking its tongue out at me as if to say it didn’t care.
The creature, running like the wind, skillfully weaved through the people on the streets and jumped over a large cart.
As it soared into the sky, the heavy loads tied to its back swayed, and I felt them slam against my back.
The innkeeper’s reaction to the noise in the stable came slower than Nightmare’s speed in leaving the city.
Nightmare sped past the large main gate, and as the wide plain unfolded, it accelerated.
The massive windmills quickly became smaller and disappeared.
The colorful flower fields that had stretched across the horizon were soon gone, replaced by vast farmlands.
At times, through plains, other times through valleys, and sometimes through mountains.
Nightmare ran non-stop.
Thanks to its endless stamina and high speed, we arrived at the border zone between the Karma Empire and the Kingdom of Obrein sooner than expected.
Karma Empire and the Kingdom of Obrein were neighboring countries, and their borders were directly connected.
This area, with its immense population of travelers, had become a gathering place for adventurers, merchants, and missionaries, and was often used as an escape route by criminals fleeing the countries.
For these reasons, armies from both nations were stationed in the border zone.
“Wow…”
I put down the book I had been reading and looked around.
At the edge of the Karma Empire, I could see hastily constructed tents beyond a large, arch-shaped gate.
As described in the adventurer’s guidebook, this was indeed a place with a huge transient population.
Massive wagons passed by busily, and the sounds of people bargaining loudly echoed through the streets filled with market stalls.
“Next!”
Finally, it was my turn.
I led Nightmare toward the large archway.
Inside, soldiers clad in gleaming armor blocked the way with halberds, only allowing passage after the departure procedures were completed.
“Hmm… alone?”
“Yes.”
I nodded at the border guard’s question as I held out my documents.
He quickly scanned through a heavy pile of paperwork before stepping toward Nightmare to inspect the load.
“This one… Highland bloodline? It’s quite a fine horse.”
My exit procedure went smoothly.
After the inspection of the load, I showed the adventurer’s pass from the Karma Empire, and that was all that was needed.
“Next!”
The next person to undergo inspection was a merchant pulling a large cart.
The border guard began inspecting much more thoroughly than he did with me.
The longer the inspection took, the paler the merchant’s face became.
How much time had passed in that state?
As I waited, a soldier who had been inspecting the inside of the cart with the border guard suddenly shouted.
“I found it!!!”
Before the soldier’s shout even ended, two rugged men, with deep scars across their faces, leaped out from the boxes that had collapsed inside the cart.
Each of them wielded a sword, their faces pale as they began threatening everyone around them.
But the chaos from the two men didn’t last long.
Soldiers, appearing from all directions, began beating the men with heavy iron rods, turning them into a bloody mess.
The men, collapsed on the floor, were handed over to the soldiers and taken away.
It was a terrifying scene.
I tugged on Nightmare’s reins and urged it forward.
Although the exit procedures for each country were relatively quick, the entry procedures were far more complicated and time-consuming.
There was even a daily limit on the number of people allowed to enter the Kingdom of Obrein, so I wouldn’t be able to enter today.
Thinking I might be able to bribe my way in, I handed five gold coins to a soldier standing nearby.
However, he frowned and began scolding me.
“Ah… a young one already… where did you learn this?”
“An old man taught me.”
“Where are your parents? I should speak to them.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Both your mother and father?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
The soldier clicked his tongue at my answer.
I glanced at him with an odd look. He was scolding me, but he didn’t end up returning the gold coins.
His intentions were obvious. I gave him two more gold coins with a light smile.
He reluctantly took them, pulled a small wooden token from his pocket, and handed it to me.
[Temporary Pass]
“Ahem… what are you waiting for? Go ahead.”
“Quite an expensive pass.”
“Hmm…”
The soldier stuffed the gold coins into his pocket and avoided making eye contact.
I had gotten what I wanted.
No longer wanting to provoke the soldier, I tugged on Nightmare’s reins and headed toward the Kingdom of Obrein’s entry inspection.
With the temporary pass in hand, I didn’t have to wait in line.
I simply showed the pass to the soldiers nearby, and they quickly allowed me to enter through another entrance where soldiers were coming and going.
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