Chapter 139 – Asking for Help
A full month had passed since they entered the southern continent.
For most of that time, their carriage wound its way through dense forests.
Aside from passing a few small villages and encountering the occasional merchant caravan, they rarely saw another soul.
They had thought the journey would continue smoothly all the way to Lake Ring City—
But the moment they exited the forest, they were met with a vast stretch of swamp.
When the carriage sank into the mire, everyone turned to look at Elias in stunned silence.
Elias, meanwhile, scanned the surroundings thoughtfully.
"I remember this swamp… There used to be a path running through the middle—wide enough for a carriage."
Flamme blinked.
"So, Elias… when was the last time you came through here?"
"…About two hundred years ago."
"Wonderful."
Flamme gave him a flat look.
"So in your eyes, the world hasn't changed at all in two centuries."
"…Just a minor miscalculation. I'll fix it."
Flamme sighed, utterly speechless, then turned to the others.
"Let's get out of the carriage first."
"—Hey! Be careful, all of you!"
Just as they stepped down, a shout came from the edge of the swamp.
An elderly man, leaning on a cane, hurried toward them with unsteady steps.
"Grandpa, slow down!"
Frieren, ever kind to the elderly, rushed forward to support him, helping him approach at a safer pace.
The old man looked at them, then at the carriage stuck in the swamp, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Ah… I'm too late! I came to warn you to take a detour, but your carriage has already rushed into the swamp!"
"This is troublesome… Now you'll have to head north and hire a few powerful mages or strong warriors—pay them to—"
"No need."
Elias interrupted coldly, raising a hand toward the carriage.
The next moment—
Under the old man's stunned gaze, the carriage rose straight out of the swamp!
It floated through the air under Elias's control, then gently descended back onto solid ground before them.
"W-what?! How is that possible?!"
The old man stared at Elias in disbelief.
"To lift such a large carriage out of a swamp with levitation magic would require at least three powerful mages!"
"Even brute force would take three equally strong warriors working together!"
"—Is it really that exaggerated?"
Robin walked over casually, then lifted the carriage with ease.
"It's just a bit wide. Not that difficult, honestly…"
The old man was completely dumbfounded.
Not a word came out of his mouth.
At that moment, Flamme stepped forward and gave a polite nod.
"Thank you for your concern. But just now, you mentioned a detour—where can we take it?"
"Ah… well…"
For some reason, the old man frowned, hesitating as he glanced back over his shoulder.
"…The sun is about to set. How about you all come to my house instead?"
"Don't worry, it's not big, but there's enough room for all of you to stay the night. And we have plenty of food as well!"
The moment he said that—
Elias stepped forward sharply, his gaze locking onto the old man.
"Trying to delay us again?"
"Tell me—was it that black-haired elf musician who told you to do this?"
"E-elf musician? What elf musician? I've never seen—"
As the old man staggered back under Elias's pressure, fear trembling in his eyes—
Flamme decisively grabbed Elias's arm.
"Enough."
"You're overthinking it. You know perfectly well he's just an ordinary old man. There's no cross-shaped mark on him either."
Elias still didn't relent.
"Flamme, even if night falls, there's no reason for us to stay here."
"Everyone! My house is just inside the forest—not far at all!"
Flamme glanced at the darkening sky, where the sun teetered on the horizon beneath heavy clouds.
"…Alright."
"It might rain soon. Staying in a house is better than camping in the wild."
"What do you think, Elias?"
Elias was about to refuse outright—
But the moment he opened his mouth, he felt three pairs of resentful eyes glaring at him.
Especially Frieren, who was grinding her teeth as if she wanted to devour him alive.
"…Honestly. With all of you looking at me like that, what can I even say?"
---
The old man's home was simple and modest.
Yet the meal he prepared for Elias and the others was unexpectedly lavish.
There were more than five kinds of meat alone—most of them preserved and aged—but it was enough to show his sincerity.
By the time they had eaten their fill, it was already deep into the night.
The rain had stopped.
The three younger ones thought nothing of it, simply believing they had met a kind-hearted elder, and quickly went to sleep.
But Elias and Flamme both understood—
Such generosity rarely came without a reason.
Looking at the leftovers on the table, the old man hesitated before finally speaking:
"Um… I…"
"—Please, just say it."
Flamme smiled gently at him.
"With such generous hospitality, you must have spent quite a lot. If there's something troubling you, we'll do our best to help."
The old man froze for a moment—
Then slowly revealed a bitter smile.
"I'm ashamed to say… there is indeed something important I'd like to ask of you."
"As you've seen, ahead lies a vast swamp. Travelers and caravans can easily get stuck if they're not careful."
"In fact… a hundred years ago, there used to be a proper road across that swamp."
"But years of heavy rain caused the swamp to deepen, swallowing the path entirely."
"Now, travelers have no choice but to detour—losing an entire month of travel time."
Hearing this, Flamme already had a suspicion.
"…You want us to rebuild the road, don't you?"
"…Heh. That's right."
The old man lowered his head.
"To be honest… this all started as a foolish bet I made in my youth."
"My companion's wager was to climb the steepest mountain on the southern continent."
"And mine… was to rebuild the road across the swamp."
"…Who succeeded?"
"Heh…"
The old man shook his head with a wry smile.
"He was far more determined than I was. Within a few years, he reached the summit of the steepest mountain…"
"…and then slipped—and fell to his death."
"Decades have passed since his life ended… yet I still haven't fulfilled my wager."
"How shameful…"
With that, he looked up at the silent Flamme and Elias, then stood and walked toward the door.
"Come with me."
---
Stepping over the damp ground still slick from the rain, the two followed him deeper into the forest.
Through the rustling leaves, they caught sight of what looked like a towering hill.
But as they drew closer—
Flamme suddenly spoke.
"…No. That's not a hill."
"…It's a massive pile of stones?"
The old man nodded quietly.
"That's right."
"Those are all the stones I've gathered over the years… to build that road."