Back in the present…
By the time they finally found a place to stay, night had already settled over the mountain. Exhausted from the climb and the events of the day, the three of them rested in silence.
When morning came, a cold light spread across the ruined area.
Haruto stood near the remains of the house, looking at what was left of it. There was almost nothing. The fire had reduced everything to ash, leaving behind only blackened fragments of wood scattered across the ground.
Still, he didn't give up.
He began searching through the ruins again, carefully moving aside broken pieces, hoping to find anything useful any clue that could explain what had happened there.
Time passed, but no matter how much he searched, he found nothing.
Not a single trace.
He let out a quiet breath and turned his head toward Miyuki. She was searching as well, going through what little remained with the same determination.
"Miyuki," Haruto called, "did you find anything?"
She paused for a moment before shaking her head.
"I searched everywhere," she said quietly.
"There's nothing left. The fire was too strong… it burned everything."
Just then, footsteps approached from behind.
Emi walked toward them, carrying some food in her hands.
"Hey," she said, glancing between the two of them. "Did you find anything? Any clue about how this happened… or how the fire started?"
Haruto shook his head.
"Nothing," he replied. "Everything turned to ash."
The three of them sat down and ate in silence for a while. The wind passed gently through the burnt remains, carrying away the last traces of smoke.
After finishing their meal, Haruto stood up.
"We should leave," he said.
There was nothing more they could do here.
Before heading down, they looked around once more.
From the top of the mountain, the view stretched far into the distance. On one side lay the village they had come from. On the other side, a vast forest spread endlessly, dark and deep.
The height was overwhelming. If someone fell from here, there would be no survival.
After a moment, they turned toward the village side.
Emi stepped forward again and used her magic on their shoes, the faint blue glow returning as the spell took effect.
Then, slowly, they began their descent.
Going down proved even more difficult than climbing up. The wind was stronger, and controlling their balance required more focus. Each step had to be careful and precise.
Still, they continued, moving slowly down the mountain, leaving the burnt remains behind them.
After several hours of careful descent, they finally reached the bottom of the mountain. Going down had been faster than climbing up, but far more dangerous. One wrong step could have sent them falling, and the constant wind had made every movement tense and exhausting.
Once they reached safer ground, they continued walking toward the village.
By the time they arrived, the sky had already begun to darken.
They returned to the place where they were staying—Emi's house.
Emi turned toward them and spoke in a calm but slightly tired voice. "You two should go and rest. You've worked hard today."
Miyuki looked at her for a moment, then stepped forward and gently grabbed her hand.
"What about you?" she asked softly. "You've been with us the whole time. We started climbing in the morning… and now it's already evening. You should rest too. Don't push yourself too much."
Her grip tightened slightly as she continued, her concern clear.
"As for us, don't worry. We'll rest."
Emi gave a small, reassuring smile, but she shook her head.
"I'll rest later," she said. "First, I need to submit a report about this to the guild. After that, I'll take some time to rest."
Haruto, who had been quietly listening, gave a small nod. "Alright," he said.
Without saying anything more, Haruto and Miyuki headed upstairs toward their room, their bodies still heavy with fatigue from the long day.
Meanwhile, Emi turned and left the house, making her way toward the guild to report what they had discovered.
Haruto and Miyuki returned to their rooms. As they reached the hallway, Miyuki stopped in front of her door, about to go inside.
Before she could enter, Haruto spoke.
"I'm going to take a bath," he said, stretching his shoulders slightly. "After all that walking, I really need it. What about you?"
Miyuki paused for a moment, thinking.
"I was thinking the same," she replied. "But… this house doesn't have a bath."
Haruto nodded lightly. "Yeah, I noticed that too. But when we were coming back earlier, I saw something in the village—a public bath. It looked pretty big."
He glanced at her. "Let's go there."
Miyuki gave a small nod. "Okay."
"Then put your bag in your room first," Haruto said. "We'll go after that."
Miyuki opened her door and went inside, placing her bag down. At the same time,
Haruto entered his own room next to hers and set his things aside as well. After that, both of them changed into fresh clothes and gathered what they needed.
A few minutes later, they stepped back out into the hallway.
Without wasting time, the two of them left the house and began walking toward the public bath in the village.