Chương 51: A Scenic Jog

The staff at the Church informed us that there were three paths leading from the city to Grasiva, but only one was accessible by carriage. It was the longest route, though significantly flatter than the alternatives. However, sitting for three hours in a cramped carriage with the worst possible shock-absorption design wasn't just uncomfortable; it was literal torture. Because the carriage was overloaded with people and luggage, it moved at a snail's pace.

More importantly, since Grasiva is nearly encircled by hills and mountains, every road leading there was winding and steep. After the first hour, I found myself wishing we had simply chosen to walk.

"I think I'll get off and just jog behind the carriage," I said, entirely serious about following through. Lealia cautioned me, "That's going to be exhausting."

"Yeah, but sitting like this is even more exhausting." Iris, who had remained silent for the past hour, suddenly chimed in, "If you're worried about making me uncomfortable, don't be. I can handle it." No, young lady, I'm worried about making myself uncomfortable. I asked Lealia to have the driver halt for a moment, determined to disembark and stretch my stiff limbs. Besides, I needed the physical conditioning; a two-hour hike on a mountain road wasn't a bad way to get it done.

The moment I stepped down, the feeling finally returned to my legs, which had been curled up until now. I bounced on the balls of my feet a few times and looked at the incline ahead, feeling quite ready. Lealia poked her head out of the window.

"Are you sure, Asher? If you get tired, just come back up and sit." I nodded and signaled the driver to resume the journey. It was only then that I realized these carriages actually move slower than a walking pace when climbing a slope. However, I wouldn't be able to outrun them on the downhill stretches, so I decided to jog ahead for a short distance first. Out in the open air, I could finally observe our surroundings clearly.

The road we were traveling on cut straight through a wide valley nestled between two mountains. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Looking at this topography, heavy rain would easily trigger landslides. If this road is used frequently with few accidents, one could guess that the rainfall in this region isn't particularly high.

The other two paths, which are only accessible by foot or horseback, likely cut directly through the lower mountain passes - shorter distances, but far more treacherous terrain. With transportation this inconvenient, it's no wonder Grasiva finds it difficult to prosper. After warming up, I began to run. Thanks to my diligent training, my stamina had improved quite a lot, though I still wouldn't call it excellent.

After half an hour of continuous uphill running, I had to switch back to walking to catch my breath and ensure I didn't stray too far from the carriage. As I ran, I began to feel that something was missing. It was a sensation both familiar and alien. This place... it was far too quiet. There were no birds chirping and no sounds of animals. For the past while, I hadn't spotted a single small creature darting across the road or hiding in the thickets. It shouldn't be like this.

This was a medieval world where humans hadn't yet expanded enough to scare off all other wildlife like in the modern world. This specific type of silence reminded me of my time during the subjugation quest in my first isekai life. The Black Forest within the Demon King's domain also lacked the sounds of small animals. If you heard any animal noises there, it meant you were near a pack of lethal magic beasts.

However, the trees in the Black Forest were all grayish-black due to Miasma poisoning, and they grew so large that they blocked out almost all light. Surrounding me now were lush green trees and warm sunshine, making this silence feel even more bizarre. Nevertheless, those suspicions were pushed aside when I caught sight of the view in the distance. As the carriage reached the highest crest of the slope, I could see the sea. More accurately, it was a big bay.

The deep blue water reflected the sunlight, creating patches of breathtakingly beautiful sparkles. Grasiva, however, did not sit right against the water. It was about three kilometers from the nearest shoreline. I wondered if we would have any free time to visit the beach. Guessing this was Lealia's first time seeing the sea, I called out to the carriage.

"Hey, look! You can see the ocean from here." Hearing this, Lealia poked her head out the window and cheered:"Ah, it's true! It's so blue. Oh, can we see land on the other side? Is that another continent from the legends?"

"No," I chuckled.

"That's still Averula. It's a bay ahead of us. We're on a peninsula, so that direction actually points back toward the capital."

"Oh... Asher, have you been to the sea before? How do you know so much?" I lied, "I just read about it in books." In reality, my true homeland was also a nation with a very long coastline, and the place where I was born was a small town nestled by a bay. Seeing this sight made me feel suddenly much closer to this strange land. It was just that the weather here is quite cool; going for a swim would probably be freezing. The road began to descend, and the carriage picked up speed.

I only had enough energy to keep up for about a kilometer before deciding to climb up and sit with the driver. After ten more minutes of driving, the sea view vanished, and the town of Grasiva began to emerge.