As Malaric began his report, recounting our harrowing tale of battling the Tainted monster and inadvertently awakening the mountain's wrath, the previously stern faces of the esteemed councilors started to pale, quickly adopting a shocked expression.

"...Tainted, you say?" one of them said incredulously as if struggling to believe what he was hearing.

"Impossible! There was no mention of any such encounter for 500 years!" An elderly man in long white robes exclaimed angrily.

'Another priest?' I wondered silently, trying my best to blend in with the environment so that the councilors' eyes remained focused solely on Malaric.

"Please, calm down, Father. I'm sure there is some plausible explanation for all of this... "The Baron said dejectedly, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

'Well, that would make two of us...' I thought amusingly.

But I guess I was suffering from the sunk cost fallacy. When I had already committed so much time and effort to this endeavor, it would have felt stupid to just skip the town at the last leg before receiving my promised reward.

"I'm telling you what I saw with my own eyes. Whether you decide to believe it, Father is not my problem." Malaric spat out, visibly annoyed that everyone was constantly interrupting him as he briskly concluded his report.

When he was finally done, a brief, uneasy silence descended upon the meeting hall before the room erupted in a heated debate as the elders showered Malaric with a barrage of additional questions.

Yet, to my delight, they seemed to completely ignore my presence, which I very much preferred.

So, while the esteemed councilors were in the process of downplaying the imminent threat posed by the mountain as apparently vulcanic eruptions were extremely rare around these parts of the Kingdom, instead focusing entirely on the Blessed warrior Arn's tragic death and the expected political implications of such a thing I began contemplating what I should do next.

I still had no idea what this whole business with the "Tainted" was, but I already figured it was probably nothing overly pleasant, and it would be better for me to stay as far away from them as I possibly could.

The more pressing issue was the volcano itself. Luckily, it didn't explode just yet, but that could only be a matter of time.

'Whatever the case, I'm out of here...'

It was already too late to head out now, but I was determined to be on my way first thing in the morning, reward or no reward. I was no seismologist, so I was not sure if the volcano was going to explode, but I wouldn't be taking any chances.

It was a bit hypocritical of me to run away when it was me who caused this situation in the first place. Still, that was only an unintended consequence of me saving everyone from the rampaging abomination.

Besides, I already gave my warning to the Baron. It was his duty as their liege lord to protect its subjects. If he decided not to do anything about it, then it was no longer my problem.

It's not like I would dare to go stand in the middle of the town square and scream that the doom is approaching and everyone must run away - that would be plain silly and a sure way to get myself killed.

When we were finally dismissed, it was already well past midnight, and the town's gates were firmly shut for the night, forcing me to spend another night in the possibly doomed town.

Still, I decided to risk it. In the worst case, I would have to make a quick retreat over the city walls.

Deadly tired, I settled in one of the Recruits' communal bedrooms at the Guild and dozed off almost instantly.

***

As I woke up the following morning and made my way to the window to peer outside, the first thing that I noticed was an overcast sky, and I could see tiny ash particles fluttering in the wind.

I sighed, quickly gathering up my things and promptly heading downstairs. 'If it is already like this all the way here, it must be a literal pandemonium at the border.'

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was then that I remembered the village chief I had saved from the wolf pack a few nights ago. 'Ah, come to think about it, I never got to say my goodbyes to him...'

At least with the Tainted monster now gone, the plague it was spreading should be gone too, so his daughter would probably survive, although they might have just traded one disaster for another.

I was hoping the villagers would understand the signs in the sky and run away while it was still time, but I did not have the time or will to risk my life to go back to warn them.

"I believe my job here is done," I said to Malaric in a tone that gave no room for negotiation.

He scratched the back of his head, showing me an awkward smile. "I was expecting you to say that..."

Still, he seemed reluctant to let me go without giving it one last try to convince me. "Is there really nothing that would convince you to stay? I'll be repeating myself, but I could really use someone like you."

I smiled wistfully, shaking my head as I had very much expected this question. "I'm afraid not. I still have a long journey ahead of me."

The branch leader sighed, resigned to his fate. "Alright. I won't be keeping you any longer."

I was just about to turn away when Malaric stopped me. "You really helped us out there. I couldn't get you the promised coins on such short notice, but at least here, take this," he said with mirth in his voice.

I took the unassuming piece of paper from his outstretched hand, and my lips curled into a smile. 'The Recommendation...'

With that, I thanked him and quickly left Neufeld behind, joining the thin stream of other travelers who seemed to see the writing on the wall and decided to flee to safety despite the danger posed by the monsters.

Guided by the rough copy of the map from the Guild's lobby I previously sketched, I continued to travel southeast.

***

The further I got from Neufeld and the messy situation at the border, the better my mood became.

Soon, the clouds had fully cleared, and a spotless azure sky smiled upon me. By now, spring was almost over, and the warm summer was taking its place.

The surrounding countryside had turned lush and vibrant thanks to the abundant rain brought by the spring storms.

It was a welcoming sight. One that cleared my head of all unnecessary thoughts and helped calm my troubled mind.

The winding path led me through many dense forests, sprawling meadows, and ripening fields. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming wildflowers, making me smile as I strode onward.

Yet I always remained vigilant, reminding myself that the apparent peace could be broken at any moment.

***

In the weeks that followed, I traveled from town to town, slaying monsters along the way to both fuel my alibi as a wandering beast hunter and to also continue to earn merit points.

I begrudgingly followed my sunk fallacy cost train of thought, as now that I was almost halfway to the next rank, it felt like a shame not to keep trying.

Then, one overly hot day in the middle of summer, I finally traversed the entire region and made it to the Kingdom's border.

Before me stood the mighty fortress that marked the invisible boundary I so dearly sought to cross and which lay just a short distance beyond it—a distance both tiny and enormous at the same time.

It was part of a chain of similar fortresses all along the border, which, together with numerous outposts and guard towers, were designed to ensure that no monster or person, for that matter, snuck across unnoticed.

As I approached the fortress, its massive stone walls loomed above me, and the imposing gates stood firmly shut. Guards clad in shimmering armor patrolled the perimeter, their eyes sharp and vigilant.

I stood there for a moment, contemplating my next move, before promptly turning around and disappearing into the adjoining forest.

'Yeah, that's a no-go.'

I knew this already, but I still wanted to see it with my own eyes in case I could spot some way in which I could perhaps make it across unnoticed.

But seeing the mighty fortification with my own eyes, I immediately realized that unless I wanted to fight my way through the local garrison—a quite risky endeavor—there was simply no other way than to follow my original plan and scale the surrounding mountains.

Not wasting any time, I headed north, following a narrow animal trail, before arriving at the foothills of the towering mountains that marked the edge of the Kingdom.

The dense forest gradually transformed into rocky terrain, and I felt a surge of exhilaration as I gazed up at the daunting peaks looming above me.

Luckily, being a mage, I didn't have to worry about climbing the treacherous slopes. I quickly propelled myself upward with the help of air manipulation, traversing the entire length of the mountain in a series of large jumps in mere hours.

Finally, I saw the mountain peak looming before me only a short distance ahead, its snow-capped summit glistening in the sunlight.

As I climbed higher, the surrounding air grew crisper and cold, making breathing harder. But I didn't mind as I knew that my goal lay just beyond the mountain's peak - the Kingdom's border.

I smiled as I could already almost see it - all I had to do was cross it. 'Alright! Just a little bit more...'

With renewed determination, I resumed my ascent, carefully navigating the steep slopes and rocky outcrops.

Still, the uneasy feeling I sensed a while back got much stronger the closer I got to the peak, and then a massive roar shook the mountains, freezing me in my tracks.

'Ah, it can never be this easy, can it?'