Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 189

**Side: Prim**

A night after returning to Feel, Yamato, Lydia, Rouda, and I set off for the Mylight Mountains. Mana, Yuri, and Athena were with Rika-san for introductions in the province; Meena was attending Rosemary and Muse-san’s wedding; Flam and Marina were studying crafts; Ed was crafting swords for Rex-san and his two companions; Fiana was finalizing the details of the beast carriage she designed with Yamato; Raus and Rebecca were hunting nearby after Carol’s Hunter Registration; and Marisa, Viola, Yuria, and Eos were escorting Mother while visiting the Healer’s Guild and Butler’s Guild. With everyone occupied with their own plans, it was just the four of us heading to Mylight.

This time, we were flying on Jade and Fluorite, who seemed very happy about it. Rouda, who was riding behind Yamato, was also thrilled, but that was due to a game of rock-paper-scissors. Lydia was scheduled to ride on the way back, which I envied.

We safely reached the summit of Mylight thanks to Jade and Fluorite. Unlike the Ideal Mountain Range, which had an abundance of high-rank monsters, or the Solpreza Mountain Range, where Demise Species made their nests, we found ourselves surprisingly underwhelmed by the lack of threats, despite our vigilance.

“Only Prim and Yamato can say that, right? I didn’t expect Demise Species, but I was prepared for a massive number of monsters like in the Ideal Mountain Range,” Lydia said from behind me, looking utterly relieved. I supposed that was a normal reaction.

“We’re not exactly short on time, but fewer monsters mean less trouble. Our objective this time is research, not hunting,” Yamato stated. He was right. If hunting were the goal, there would be no need to come all the way to the summit of Mylight, where monsters were abundant.

“A stone monument, a stone monument… Ah, there it is,” Rouda exclaimed. “Looks like it. Let’s head down while staying alert,” Yamato instructed Jade. I needed to follow suit and tell Fluorite to land.

The Treasure Tree of the Mylight Mountains was surrounded by trees, unlike those in the Ideal Mountain Range, and there was a small lake nearby. Despite being nearly 7,000 meters above sea level, the Mylight Mountains were not as cold as I expected. This was likely due to the magic imbued in my Crest Armor, and perhaps also because it was early autumn.

“With this kind of altitude, I expected the summit to be freezing even in summer, but there’s lush greenery and the temperature is quite high,” Yamato observed, examining something on his Engraving Tool. “Yamato, what are you looking at?” I asked. “Ah, I’m checking the temperature app on my Engraving Tool,” he replied. “Engraving Tools can do that?” I wondered. But what did he mean by it being warm?

“It was around 27 degrees Celsius in Feel during midsummer, but it’s 18 degrees here. There are mountains 7,000 meters high in my world too, but they’re frigid even in summer, so I’m surprised,” he explained. I see, that’s how it is in Yamato’s world. The Helios Orb had similar mountains, but some had summit temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, so I hadn’t found that particularly unusual. I had anticipated it might be a little cold, but I couldn’t determine if it was an extremely cold world, so 18 degrees was much higher than I’d expected.

“The summit temperatures differ between worlds, don’t they?” I remarked. “Not just the temperature, but the ecosystems too. Still, there’s useful knowledge to be gained, so it’s worth noting,” Yamato replied. That was true. However, it was strange that no one had ever visited the Mylight Mountains’ Treasure Tree, given that there were no monsters and the temperature was warmer than expected. It shouldn’t be difficult to reach with flying familiars, yet no one seemed to have seen it before. I wondered if there was a reason.

“Hmm?” Yamato suddenly spoke. “What is it?” “Something’s lingering on Sonar Wave. There’s something at the Treasure Tree,” he said. Something caught on Sonar Wave, and at the Treasure Tree at that – it could only be a monster. I didn’t know what it was, but it was likely the guardian of Mylight.

“Is that… a bird?” Yamato mused. “A bird? A bird-type monster?” Lydia asked. “From what Eagle Eye shows, yes. The bird-type monster in Mylight is an Ice Rock, wasn’t it?” “Yes. It’s a subspecies of Mana’s Ice Rock Sirius. And if it’s capable of becoming the guardian of Mylight… could it be a Rudra Foul?” I speculated. Like the Ignis Bird we defeated in the Solpreza Labyrinth, it was an M-C ranked Catastrophe Species. Rudra Foul could indeed become the guardian of Mylight, which explained why no one could land here. Mylight likely provided ample food, so it wouldn’t attack human settlements, explaining the lack of information.

“Is there anything else?” Yamato asked. “No, it seems to be just one. They say it’s a monster that doesn’t typically flock, so perhaps it’s not strange,” he replied. That was true. However, if a Rudra Foul was present, we couldn’t investigate the stone monument without defeating it. “It looks like it’s about to move. We’ll take it down in one go when it appears,” Yamato said. “Let’s do that,” I agreed.

We had Jade and Fluorite land, and we prepared for battle. Lydia and Rouda, having gained experience in the Solpreza Labyrinth, were holding their weapons firmly. They had also developed their Unique Magic, so as long as we didn’t let our guard down, we should be fine. With Yamato providing ample protection, I had no worries.

**Side: Yamato**

After defeating the Rudra Foul nesting in the Mylight Mountains’ Treasure Tree and storing it in my storage, we began our investigation of the stone monument. “What happened in the fight with the Rudra Foul?” you ask? It ended the moment I hit it with an Ice Edge Javelin. Whether it was luck or not, it was a direct hit to the head, which was the deciding blow. I aim for instant kills regardless of the opponent, as prolonging the fight would further damage Prim’s and my Crest Armor.

That aside, the monument was inscribed with writing that all four of us could read. “It’s Japanese after all,” I confirmed. I had anticipated it would be Japanese, but I was relieved to see it in writing, as I had been unsure until that point. While I could manage English or French, anything else would have been problematic. Of course, I could have used the Engraving Tool’s translation function.

“In your world, Yamato, do the languages and writing systems differ by country?” Prim asked. “Yeah. That’s why studying is so difficult,” I replied. In fact, I almost gave up studying French. I could speak English reasonably well, but since my family ran a shrine, I also had to study ancient Japanese, which was incredibly demanding.

“That sounds truly challenging. I never imagined languages could be so different,” Lydia said. In the Helios Orb, even in Abaricia, a common language was spoken. Wait… then why could I converse normally in the Helios Orb? I could also read and write the script without issue, so why? There was no skill or divine intervention, as is common in isekai summons or transfers. Furthermore, I still didn’t understand why Prim and the others could read the inscription, which was supposed to be Japanese. Ah, since the Helios Orb has a common language, it must be automatically translating. I don’t know for sure, but I haven’t experienced any inconvenience, and it’s actually helpful, so I’ll investigate it if I get the chance.

“‘Those who possess the qualification and can move the stone monument will be granted further qualification.’ I have no idea what this means,” I read aloud. I don’t understand what the qualification is, but since anyone can read it with automatic translation, being able to read the stone monument must be something different. I suspect it refers to being a guest. Furthermore, it says “those who can move the stone monument,” so I assume this monument can be moved. But what is this “further qualification”? I have no clue.

“I have no idea either. There’s more, but this is also unclear,” Prim added. “‘I shall guide you to the floating Alka in the distance,’” I quoted. Judging from the text, I assume it’s a floating island called Alka. But where is “in the distance”? And what does “guide” mean? Does it mean it will take us there?

“What’s that?” Lydia asked. “I’d like to know,” I replied. “Judging from the text, this stone monument can be moved, but how?” Prim inquired. That’s what I want to know too. This monument is quite large, at least a meter tall. I could move it by force, but that’s probably not the intended method. Wait a minute. Are those unnatural cracks? Or…

“What’s wrong, Yamato-san?” Lydia asked. “No, I just had a thought,” I replied. The first crack I noticed was near the center of the monument. However, it wasn’t chipped in various places; it was a straight line. When I touched the stone monument, my suspicion was confirmed. I see, so that’s how it is.

“Huh?” I carefully removed a piece of the monument, surprising Lydia. “Hmph. Oh, it came off cleanly.” If it was a fitted part and not a crack, it would naturally come off cleanly. “Is it okay to do that with the stone monument?” Prim asked. “Who knows? No, it seems to be fine,” I replied, uncertainly. The moment I said that, I understood it was the right thing to do. A magic circle had appeared at my feet.

“This magic circle looks similar to Traveling,” Lydia observed. “Ah, indeed. If it resembles Traveling, it probably means it will take us to Alka,” I surmised. “I see, teleportation. That sounds interesting,” Prim said. “I’m certainly intrigued,” Lydia added. “Me too,” I agreed.

“Oops, I need to get Jade and Fluorite into the magic circle too.” Fortunately, they were nearby, and both entered the magic circle quickly. As if waiting for them, the magic circle activated, guiding us towards Alka.