It wasn't until Jamila left that Alice repaired the sword in her knee.

[Ah, it's really getting weak.] 】

[If it had been before, I would have been able to twist this sword into the way I wanted it in an instant, even in battle. And yet now it has taken so long. 】

She flicked lightly on the spine of the sword, and the steel creature immediately let out a crisp trill.

The sound quality is good, and the sound produced is fairly smooth. For an ordinary steel sword that was picked up from the corpse of a mercenary on the side of the road, it was quite good to be able to do this - you can't expect the thing you picked up to be Mithril Essence.

She lowered her eyes, and the smooth surface of the sword immediately reflected the girl's pretty face.

It is said that Alice, the Dragonborn, showed her prowess under the snowy city half a month ago, defeating the army of Stormcloak in one fell swoop.

But half a month ago, she had just woken up from the northern end of the Gutal plain.

[So.] 】

[Am I being replaced?]

[The gods are tired of me, so they strip me of my power and let someone more suitable replace me—is this what it looks like?]

She couldn't help but think of the last moment when death was about to be touched. At that moment, she clearly felt that a part of her body had been stripped away and flew into the distance.

No, maybe she's the one who has been stripped away.

Alice's fingertips ran over the scar on her neck, the only scar she had left on her body since she awoke. There is no way to get rid of it, and there is no cure. While this did not cause her any discomfort in her movements, it greatly weakened her ability to speak.

[Even if I still remember those dragon words, I can't use them. 】

Alice narrowed her eyes. There was a faint sigh.

[Anyway, the name of the Dragonborn doesn't mean anything to me in the first place. 】

[Then let's start over.] 】

After that, the group rested for about half an hour before packing up all kinds of belongings. Continued on the journey.

There were six of them, six people plus a carriage to be exact. The most experienced Chamak and the sharp-sensed archer Bymon were at the forefront. Alice, the strongest swordsman, and Jamila, the dark elf, were in charge of covering the rear. Quinn the merchant took the reins of the colt and carefully followed the outposts with torches. His carriage was stacked with the travelers' essentials, goods to sell, and the wizard Yuga.

Even in the Skyrim Province, where magic is not valued. A wizard will always be treated preferentially.

"I think he's going to hit his head sooner or later. Jamila looked at the old god sitting on the ground in the carriage and said dissatisfied. Her eyes were always sweeping over the sharp stone milk at the top of the passageway, eager to use her eyes to cut one off when someone was passing by—to make him 'sober'.

The girl next to ".................." didn't seem to hear her voice. Just unhurriedly followed the carriage, casually surveying the terrain around.

Jamila's lips curled. But that setback wasn't enough to make her give up.

"Your swordsmanship is very good, is it the court swordsmanship of Sirodiel? It seems to be some kind of variant? Did you research it yourself?"

“………………”

"It is said that there is a sword style called 'arashi' in court swordsmanship, and the best sword dancers are able to take a circle of nineteen steps in one breath, and make nine cuts with each step. You should be able to do the same, right?"

“………………”

"You've probably been inside the Platinum Tower. Did you learn it there? I've heard that the Imperial Capital Library is half the size of Raven Rock. Not...... Raven Rock is a large port...... Well, it's the size of five Dragon Palaces?"

“………………”

"Have you heard of Southam? It's a big and strange island. That's where I came from. Did you come directly from Sirodiel?"

“……………… Concentrate on the road. ”

"Gah?"

The Dark Elf stumbled, and a small stone pit almost brought her head into close contact with the ground. Fortunately, her balance is okay, and she didn't fall into such a miserable situation as a dog gnawing mud.

"Huh-" A sneer came from the carriage. "Jamila, you are so clumsy, I think sooner or later you will step on a piece of fruit peel on the street and fall to your death. You might as well go home early and drink your mother's milk. ”

The Dark Elf Maiden glared fiercely at the speaker, and said disdainfully, "It's better than some piece of waste that can't even walk! At least I know I can't use an ice pick to deal with the Frost Wraith!"

"Hmph, rat eyes. The wizard turned his head in exasperation. "You're out of luck then, don't come to me. ”

"Count on you? I might as well do it myself. Jamila wiped her nose. In a low voice, she turned around and said thank you to the girl beside her.

Alice shook her head slightly, but didn't respond.

So the traveler's squad was quiet again. Except for the sound of footsteps, the rolling of wheels, the cacophony of the crash of goods, the crackling of burning torches. It's just a light or heavy breath.

The closer you get to the belly of the mountain, the darker it becomes. The gaps in the rock crevices of the outer passages have long since disappeared. The only source of light was the torch in Quinn's hand. However, even if this pine rod mixed with good fuel worked, it could only shine less than thirty feet in range.

Thirty feet away, there was darkness.

It was silent, gloomy and cold, not even a hint of wind. The air is also a little heavy, and the outlines of the rocks can be faintly seen beyond the field of vision. It was like a lurking beast, silently following the footsteps of the travelers.

The colts rubbed their hooves restlessly, and their nostrils erupted with anxious white vapor. It took Quinn some effort to calm them down, though his own hands were shaking slightly.

The journey is less than a third. It takes at least two days and two nights to get through the cold rock passage.

[At this time, the wizard should put a magic light spell.] 】

Jamila thought to herself. But she didn't speak, and the result was doomed anyway. Until the torches are burned out, Yuga, that miser, won't waste a little magic at all. So why waste your tongue on something that's impossible?

At this moment, Baimon, who was walking in the front, suddenly stopped.

"There's something here. He raised his hand and motioned for the travelers to stop. At the end of his line of sight, something strange appeared on the ground.

It was a few pieces of blue-black. They are also surrounded by some solidified gum. You can also smell a fishy smell.

Chamak leaned down and examined it carefully. His brow furrowed deeply.

"It's Charus. He pondered it for a moment and came to his conclusion. "This is the carapace that the injured Charus has shed, although it is not very fresh, but it has only been three days at most. ”

Baimon nodded, agreeing with him. "So there's a Charus's lair around here?"

"I'm afraid it's worse than that. ”

"Snow Elves?" "Vamo?" said Yuga and Jamila, who stepped forward, at the same time. They looked at each other, then looked away.

Chamak ignored the small movements of the two behind him, he nodded heavily, and said, "There is a very good chance that there is a snow elf's lair connected here, the scale may not be very large, but they are very dangerous. ”

"They are born blind, have a strong sense of hearing and smell, are good at stealth, and can use bows and arrows. Some of them also use magic. And they also kept Charus, who was able to spray poison, as a hunting dog. I've fought against these guys and killed quite a few of my companions. ”

"If it could be any brighter here, I could try to kill them with an arrow. Baimon said regretfully. "But not anymore. I could only see anything more than fifty feet away in this light. ”

"Don't look at me. It's impossible to hide a close-range spell from another caster. Yuga shrugged. said nonchalantly: "It's really not good, just go back." There is always a time when the snowy checkpoints will be removed. ”

Before he could finish speaking, Merchant Quinn let out an anxious cry. "Great, sir, you can't do that!"

He almost pleaded, "That's just a bunch of tiny bugs." You can kill them at your fingertips. ”

However, no one paid attention to him.

"The weapons of the snow elves are coated with poison. But Jamila was the only one wearing heavy armor that could protect her entire body. Chamak said calmly, "Unless we can get enough antidote to insects." Otherwise I wouldn't agree to move on. ”

"I agree. Bymon nodded. "Even a legendary hero can't go uninjured in battle. Besides, we are just ordinary adventurers. There is no need to take such a risk. ”

Jamila didn't speak. But her silence also made her position clear.

Now, three of the six members of the Traveler squad have shown obvious intention to retreat.

So the fat merchant looked pitifully at the last man who had not spoken.

"Miss Alice, what can you say? He asked expectantly.

If Alice, who is the strongest in swordsmanship, is willing to continue walking, I think other people's minds will change as well. Quinn thought to himself.

Alice, however, only shook her head slightly. His gaze then passed over him, to somewhere in the void.

[The smell of fear...... The Taste of Death...... So familiar......]

Now, his last hope has been reimbursed. But if he just goes back, he will have to sell his goods cheaply.

The merchant gritted his teeth and stomped his foot.

"It's just a shell of a bug! Maybe it's just one, maybe there's no snow sprite at all. We've come so far, we can't just hold back!"

"But, yes. Baimon said slowly. "Any possibility should be taken into account. And," he pointed at Quinn. "You've never been with us. ”

The merchant froze. But then he hurriedly said, "But we have the advantage!"

"Those guys (snow elves) don't know anything about us, but we already know about their existence, and we can sneak attack! Just like with those snow trolls, didn't we kill them without a single one of them being hurt?"

He said in a tone full of **: "Think about it, what a great honor it is to cut off the head of a snow elf leader? And how many treasures are in a snow elf's lair? They have been underground for so many years, maybe rubies are as common to them as stones, and sapphires are like sand." And they don't know anything about our arrival. ”

He lowered his voice, his eyes wide as he gestured to the size of his fingertips.

"And we only need to take a small risk......"

Baimon licked his lips, and he suddenly felt his throat a little dry.

He was almost moved by him.

However, at this moment, Yuga coughed lightly.

"I remember, the antidote has always been very good in Mosar?"

With just this sentence, Quinn's face immediately changed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said dryly, "Well, that's just a rumor. Mosal is so big, where is there a shortage of antidotes?"

"Really?" said Yuga smirked as she walked over to the wagon laden with goods. "Am I, as a wizard, can't even smell the smell of alchemical potions?" he tapped lightly on a box, and the crunch of potion bottles hitting each other was immediately heard from the box.

Quinn's face turned pale.

"This ...... That's half of my family......" said the merchant with a shudder.

However, he found that Baimon was looking at him coldly.

"Two less bottles, and you won't die. Bymon gently touched the short sword at his waist. Said softly. There was a smile on his face, but it was like a saber-toothed tiger with a cracked mouth, full of hatred and blood.

This guy almost fooled him!

Quinn lowered his head, his shoulders shaking slightly. There was a smiteful glint in his eyes, but when he looked up, he was the cautious merchant again. He said with a smile on his face, "You're right. ”