"Let’s go by ourselves then. I remember it takes about a day by carriage, so walking will probably take a day and a half."

Colin sighed and added, "It’s not that far anyway, so let’s not touch our dry rations. We can just buy some sausages and bread to get by."

"If you ask me, we’d be better off eating berries and the like."

"Fine by me. I’ll eat the sausages, you eat the berries."

"Screw you."

The two of them walked to the market and bought some provisions, then headed south along the main road.

There were city-states both south and north of Thousand Masts City, so the road they were on was part of a trade route and was fairly well-maintained.

Along the way, they saw Adventurers hoping to try their luck further south, refugees still fleeing southward, and even a few citizens of Thousand Masts City moving south with their entire families.

As always, Kase’s presence was a sensitive issue. Every person they encountered stared at him as if he were a thief.

As they traveled on foot, Colin kept an eye out for any medicinal herbs along the way.

But after several miles, he hadn’t found anything of value. He figured everything had probably been picked clean already.

Now that they were on their way, Colin decided not to hold back his points any longer.

He allocated all two hundred Skill Level points to Casting. Accompanied by a brief hallucination, his Casting Proficiency reached 739.

While they were on the road, Colin decided to test out his Shield spell.

With his increased Skill Level, he could clearly feel that casting Magic had become much more natural. Moreover, the side effects from casting two Tier One Magic spells in a row were significantly reduced; at least he wouldn’t pass out anymore.

’This feeling of proficiency didn’t come from a deeper understanding of Magic, but simply from practice making perfect. In a way, it was just a matter of brute-forcing it.’

After a day of walking and stopping, they had covered most of the distance by the time the sky began to grow dark.

The two found a relatively secluded spot by the side of the road to make camp.

Kase started a fire, skewered the bread and sausages they had bought that morning onto branches, and roasted them over the flames. The cooked sausages sizzled, dripping with fat.

It had to be said, the two tasted much better roasted than they did cold.

He said suddenly, "Hey... thanks for all this."

"Since when do we say ’thank you’ to each other?" Colin placed his treasured sleeping bag by the campfire, slid inside, and lay down comfortably on the ground.

"Because it’s the only thing I *can* do right now."

In the flickering firelight, the Half-Orc’s face shifted between light and shadow.

"You’ll probably laugh, but... I only believe in the Deity of Destruction so I can face death more calmly, hoping for a better life after I’m gone."

Kase continued, "To be honest, when I first set out for the south, I never expected to make it back alive. When I heard the winter disaster had come early and was so severe, all I could think was that if I went back sooner, at least I could be buried with my tribe.

I never imagined we’d be able to send Adventurers to find my tribe, let alone have a chance to bring everyone south. After all, I’m just a strange, useless Half-Orc here... It honestly feels like a dream."

Colin remembered what Kase had said to the old veteran back at Dragon’s Fang Castle.

’Perhaps the moment the Curse took hold, this Half-Orc had already died. He just hadn’t been buried yet.’

"Well, you’d better try to be more optimistic. We’re a team, after all," Colin said. "If you die, I’ve got a feeling the Weston Clan’s debt will fall on me."

"So this is how you react to your big bro’s heartfelt thanks?" Kase grumbled.

Then he added, "I feel like I’m about to become the one holding the team back."

"So that’s what you thought of me before? That I was holding you back?"

"Human kid, do you always have to be so damn sharp-tongued?"

"How am I supposed to chant Spells if my tongue isn’t sharp?" Colin said, looking up at the night sky through the branches overhead. "We’re a team. This isn’t some contest to see who’s better.

Life goes on. Whether you’re the tribe’s best Totem Warrior or a Half-Orc plagued by a Curse, we’ve been through hell and back together. We’re brothers, and nothing can change that."

"Well, I..."

Kase hesitated for a moment before saying seriously, "Then no matter what trouble you find yourself in, I’ll be there to save you. No matter the task, the time, the place, or the enemy, I’ll help you. I’ll risk my life to help you. Remember this. It’s a promise from Kase, the Bear Hunter."

"I don’t think I’m *that* disaster-prone," Colin said with a laugh.

Then he added, as a suggestion, "Why don’t you try practicing how to fight while Cursed? If you can never get rid of it, maybe you can still return to your prime."

"Maybe," Kase said. "I’ve never really thought about it."

"It’s like you never think about the future," Colin said, then asked, "By the way, have you ever thought about your own life? You know, getting married, having kids, settling down in Thousand Masts City, that sort of thing."

"I already have a child."

The campfire crackled.

Colin swiveled his head around stiffly. "...Huh?"

"What’s so strange about it? I was a Totem Warrior, after all."

"So you just abandoned your wife and kid up north and ran down south to die?"

"’Wife’? A backward human custom."

Kase muttered, then explained, "According to the teachings of the Mother Goddess, the tribe doesn’t have ’wives.’ Everyone’s the same—same wars, same life, same hunts. The only difference is the women who bear the young have to be a little more careful."

’Huh? Doesn’t that mean...’ Colin swallowed hard.

He was so shocked that for a moment, he didn’t even know what to say.

In that moment, it felt as though a sad, thick wall had risen between him and his good brother.

But a curiosity welled up from deep inside, and Colin couldn’t help but ask, "So... what do your females look like?"

"What do they look like?"

Kase gestured as he explained, "Their shoulders are about two fingers’ width narrower than mine, they’re about a finger’s width shorter, and they’re just a tiny bit weaker..."

"And their faces?"

"Face?" Kase stroked his chin, then pointed to one of his own canine teeth, which was about as thick as his thumb. "Their teeth are a little shorter than this."

’Then what’s the difference between that and a slightly skinnier male Orc?’

At that, Colin didn’t want to hear any more.

He said, "Let’s just get some sleep, Kase. I’ll take the first watch tonight."

"You’re a strange one. You ask me to talk, but then you don’t listen." Kase grumbled, found a corner to lie down in, and was soon snoring.

Wrapped in his sleeping bag, Colin sat up straight, staring blankly into the campfire.

Between the Winter Wolf Necklace and his sleeping bag, he felt quite warm.

This was much more comfortable than sleeping on the cold ground back when he was gathering herbs. As far as the sleeping bag was concerned, Colin felt it was an absolute bargain.

He didn’t wake Kase for his turn until the second half of the night, then went to sleep himself.

’Uh... where am I?’

Colin opened his eyes and looked around.

He found himself in a clearing in the middle of a forest.

Beneath his feet was a stone-paved ground overgrown with moss and small patches of grass. All around him stood enormous, shattered pillars and crumbling walls of all shapes and sizes.

Bright moonlight spilled over the broken stones, coating them in a layer of silvery-gray dust.

Colin looked ahead.

Before him stood a mostly shattered statue. It depicted a woman draped in thin gauze, dancing gracefully, but the passage of time had destroyed its arms and head.

’Logically, shouldn’t I be dreaming about sword practice because of the Silent Ring? So why am I seeing a place I’ve never been to before?’