CHAPTER 275: NATURE’S SILENCE, HEART’S REST ( 275 )

Meanwhile, in the small dwarven town.

Hazuki yawned as he strolled lazily down the main street, hands stuffed in his pockets, posture slouched like he had all the time in the world.

He moved at his own pace, heading toward the town gate.

Ridan, on the other hand, was anything but calm.

"Monster!! Monster!! Monster!!" the spirit shouted, zooming in circles above Hazuki like an overcaffeinated mosquito.

Hazuki just gave him a sleepy side glance.

"Man... can’t believe you’re this excited over a basic guild quest."

"Basic!? BASIC!? It’s a monster extermination job, you know! That means potential violence, loot, danger!" Ridan spun midair, hands thrown up dramatically. "This is a thrill, my boring friend!"

Hazuki yawned again.

"Yeah well, I got nothing better to do anyway."

"You gave me a heart attack when you almost picked that find wild herbs quest!!" Ridan barked, floating upside down with a smug face.

Hazuki groaned, rubbing his temple.

"I was about to! Just something simple! Nice and chill! But someone decided to possess me, grab the monster hunt off the board, and shove it in the receptionist’s face!"

"Heh~ because you’re too slow!" Ridan grinned wide, puffing his cloudy chest proudly.

Hazuki sighed and muttered,

"Possessed by my own spirit partner... I swear I’ve lost my free will."

"You never had it to begin with!" Ridan cackled.

"You were born boring! I’m just here to spice it up!"

"Spice it up!? Last time you spiced things up, we got chased by desert ants the size of dogs."

"And we lived! Adventure! Memory! Bonding!" Ridan posed like a heroic spirit with sparkles.

"Now because you picked the quest, Ridan..." Hazuki muttered, hands still in his pockets.

"Use your mapping skill. Show me the way, GPS."

"Yes, yes~ hold your boots." Ridan floated a bit higher, swirling in a circle midair like a spinning compass.

A faint magical glow pulsed around him as he closed his eyes.

"Activating Mapping Skill: Grid Pulse Scan!"

He struck a pose like he just cast a super move.

Hazuki just stared at him blankly.

"You made that name up just now."

"Shut up! It sounds cooler this way."

After a beat, Ridan’s eyes opened—gleaming slightly with magical lines flashing across his vision.

He spun to face northeast, tail of mist trailing behind.

"Alright, brats!!" he shouted with way too much energy.

"Quest starts now! Danger! Mystery! Monster guts! March forward!!"

He zoomed ahead like a parade leader high on sugar.

Hazuki watched him go, sighing through his nose.

"...You’re not even the one walking."

Ridan floated down slowly—then casually plopped himself right on top of Hazuki’s head like a bird settling into a nest.

"Woo!! Now this is what we call sightseeing!" he declared proudly.

Hazuki didn’t even flinch.

Ridan leaned forward slightly, his cloudy mist shifting as he looked down at Hazuki’s face with a mischievous grin.

"Not like some idiot..."

He smirked.

"Who kept asking the wrong shops for crystal heels."

He burst out laughing.

’Do you make heels?’" ridan mimicking the way hazuki ask the smith before.

Hazuki just shrugged, hands still tucked in his pocket, unfazed.

"Yeah well... how was I supposed to know dwarves don’t do footwear crafts?"

Ridan rolled onto his back, still perched atop Hazuki’s head like a floating loaf.

"That’s why you got called Heelsman by half the town, genius."

Hazuki grunted.

"I’ll wear it like a badge of shame. Let’s go."

Ridan pointed dramatically ahead.

"Now, if you follow this route, you’ll get to see a beautiful scenery!"

Hazuki narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Is that code for dangerous monster territory?"

"Maybe~" Ridan grinned.

Hazuki walked casually, hands still in his pockets, following Ridan’s floating trail ahead.

He didn’t complain.

Not this time.

After all, last time he ignored Ridan’s directions, they ended up stranded in a massive open field with no shade, no water, and no idea where the hell they were.

That memory still haunted him. And it was his fault.

Ridan floated just ahead, tail of mist lazily swaying behind him.

"Hey, Hazuki."

"Hmm?"

Ridan looked over his shoulder mid-air.

"Keep going straight. You’ll see the scenery real soon."

Hazuki arched an eyebrow.

"Better not be another cactus monster disguised as landscape again."

"Trust me this time!" Ridan puffed out his chest proudly.

"...That’s what you said last time."

"And you saw amazing things, didn’t you?"

"Yeah. Like ants the size of puppies trying to eat my legs."

Ridan just grinned and pointed ahead.

"C’mon, party pooper. This one’s worth it. You’ll see."

Once Hazuki stepped past the last cluster of rock and brush, his eyes widened.

He stopped walking.

"...Whoa."

A quiet valley opened up before him—untouched, hidden by the natural folds of the land. Rolling green hills dipped into a shallow basin, dotted with wildflowers. A gentle stream snaked through the middle, sparkling under the daylight. The wind here was clean, cooler, as if it hadn’t been touched by anything artificial.

It was beautiful.

Too beautiful.

Hazuki slowly stepped forward, eyes scanning the horizon in silent awe.

"...If this were my old world," he muttered, "they’d be charging entrance fees by next year."

He crouched near a rock, running his hand along the soft grass.

"Tour buses. Trash bins. Selfie spots."

He sighed quietly.

"Then the flowers get trampled. The stream gets cloudy. And people online would still call it ’nature’ while standing in a crowd."

Ridan hovered beside him, arms behind his head.

"Old world problem?"

Hazuki nodded slowly.

"Yeah... happened to a lot of places. Beautiful spots ruined because too many people wanted to ’enjoy’ it."

"And you know what’s worse, Ridan?" Hazuki muttered, his eyes still on the valley.

"Hmm?" Ridan tilted his head, floating just above.

"It’s not even the destruction that happens all at once."

Hazuki’s voice was calm, but serious.

"Places like this... they don’t get ruined in a day. It happens slow."

He stood up, brushing his hands off on his pants.

"Piece by piece. They modernize it. Build roads. Charge tickets. Add shops. Little by little, what made the place real... just disappears."

Ridan was quiet for a moment.

Then smiled softly.

"Glad you figured that out, Hazuki."

Hazuki glanced at him.

Ridan raised his arm and slowly gestured at the valley ahead.

"See this?"

His voice was calm. Gentle.

"This is real beauty. Nature. Wild, untouched, breathing on its own."

"If you ever want to heal—really heal—" he continued,

"don’t go looking for it in big cities or towns. Find a place like this."

Hazuki looked around again, slower this time.

The wind passed through the grass like a whisper.

And for a brief moment... he forgot about quests, monsters.

Just the sound of water. The green of the hills. The sky above.

Peace.

( End Of Chapter )