The morning arrived.
The coachman was at the indicated location, at the indicated time. With there being no time to waste, the group of four plus the assessor boarded the carriage, although Camilla, in particular, seemed unwilling at initial glance.
The carriage proceeded to move west and then southwest, more silent than the usual as Camilla took the time to glare at Isaac instead of bantering non-stop. Randal and Vane looked between the two in curiosity, but eventually took their attention off, clearly relieved by the fact that they didn't have to deal with what they had been dealing with in the first three days.
Before they knew, a week had passed since Mallow Town. Ten days since the capital.
At last, as the carriage briefly came to a stop to give the horse time to rest, Isaac found the arid environment around him. The sun was blazing intensely and the only cover was the carriage's inside. Camilla was in a deep frown as she emptied the bottle of water in her hands, still in the carriage to "avoid getting her delicate skin burnt" according to her. Randal was outside with his top bare, having decided that intense heat was easier to withstand than being cramped in his seat.
Silently, Isaac leaned down and felt the hot sand. His body wasn't feeling the heat to the extent that others did, thanks to his application of [Condensation] being sufficient to regulate the temperature around him. Regulating temperature meant turning the ambient gas into vapor. Vapor not only cooled him down through direct conduction, but partially scattered the incoming sun's rays by refraction and reflection.
He inspected the sand falling out of his hand, a lifeform in this environment? The sand was dry, void of water. He wondered how the Manafold Beast named Red Wolf could sustain in such a condition. An ideal environment to operate mirage, he thought.
"Isaac." A shadow loomed over him. Isaac straightened his back and found Vane in front of him, sweaty and with a clear discomfort over the weather. Vane looked up and down at him and mumbled, "you aren't sweating."
"My skill."
"How does [Condensation]—never mind. Just make sure that you are at the optimal state when we start the hunt. Don't waste your mana carelessly." Vane sighed. "I just came to tell you that I asked the coachman and according to him, there is a hub nearby that serves as an inn for travelers. I am thinking of hiring a local to give us guidance to the ruins."
"Would it be necessary?"
"Not necessary, but better with than without. We are nobles anyw—the three of us are, at the very least. Don't worry about the cost." Vane paused. "In addition, it would give us the chance to confirm the gathered information one more time."
Isaac nodded, finding Vane's logic plausible. "How long will it take before the horse is ready to move?"
"Not too long. A bit after the horse finishes drinking, we move. Staying under the sun for a long period of time is not worth the trade."
As Vane said, it wasn't too long before they boarded the carriage again. The horse pulled for another hour or so, before one modest building appeared in their sight.
"That's the one." The coachman parked the carriage and placed the horse in an empty stable.
"At last," Camilla breathed in genuine relief as she opened the door and hurriedly entered.
Vane, on the other hand, was paying the coachman with a pouch of coins. "Ten days." He said, "Wait here for ten days. We will most definitely be back before that."
The coachman received the amount in a careful and respectful motion.
"There are your living expenses for ten days. Once we return to capital, I will give you the promised amount." Vane stated, and the coachman nodded.
As Vane turned, Randal asked with his arms crossed, "how much?"
"Five copper."
"What? A week with only that amount?" Randal raised an eyebrow.
"Too much." Isaac seemed to think otherwise, "generically, about five hundred iron should suffice—" He stopped. "But then again, this is not the capital. Money doesn't hold as much value in a resource-scarce environment."
"Exactly. Furthermore, there needs to be an incentive for him to stay," said Vane.
Randal snorted. "Incentive? Hah, that man should know well the repercussions if he were to leave before our return."
"I prefer carrot over stick." Vane said flatly before walking into the inn that Camilla had already entered.
Isaac was about to walk as well, but paused as he saw Randal humming thoughtfully. "Is something on your mind?"
"A thought, buddy." Randal spoke as if he thought of something very intuitive, "our kingdom is facing shortage of metals right now, especially iron. In that case, shouldn't the worth of iron coins go up?"
Isaac's answer was immediate, "you would be right under the assumption that those coins are made purely out of iron."
"…You're saying that they aren't?"
"They are 'iron' only by name, as per the custom that existed since before the establishment of the Aetherion Kingdom." Isaac reached into his pouch and revealed one iron coin. "This is finely cut stone—reinforced with specific combination—stained to look like iron." He pointed at the edge, where the bit of the color had peeled off. "See this?"
"Damn." Randal scratched his head. "I thought I could make riches by melting them." Cursing under his breath, he finally moved, walking his way in.
Watching Randal walk for a moment, Isaac finally followed.
From the side, assessor Howe was looking at them, still stoic and silent. Isaac did see as he walked, however, that even someone like him was sweating from the heat.
Inside, Camilla and Vane already occupied seats at the bar front.
"Owner, get me an apple cider." Camilla immediately stated authoritatively to the person by the counter—the only one who occupied the building before their entry.
The owner, who was a middle-aged man without hair and a thick mustache below his nose, peeked at Camilla before returning to what he was doing—cleaning glassware with a cloth. "We don't have that." His reply was stoic and short, as if he didn't care about Camilla's status.
Camilla wasn't the one to ignore the attitude, as she frowned. "Watch the way you speak, commoner. I am Camilla Hedron—"
"Whether you are Hedron or Aetherion means nothing to me."
Camilla blinked with her mouth open.
The owner set the glass down before looking directly at Camilla. "Look. If you're here to play noble, do so in your pretty capital garden. This is Heliosphere, the capital of the old Helios Empire. And I am the member of Helios Empire, not of the Aetherion Kingdom."
"The Empire that fell ages ago?" Vane was the one to speak instead of Camilla, finding the man's words quite ridiculous. "This is the Aetherion Kingdom's territory. Your statement just now is enough to put you on trial for an offence against the royal family."
The man snorted. "Hmph! Do it. Kill me and see if I'd change my mind."
"Forget it." Randal joined in, chuckling. "This man is delusional." He then said to the man, "get me a glass of whiskey."
"Don't have that either."
"Then what the fuck do you have?"
"Read, idiots." The owner pointed at the menu board by the side. The three's heads turned toward the board in accordance.
"Water… one silver?" Vane whispered in disbelief. "Are you mad?"
"Water is scarce here. Scram if you don't want it."
"How about a glass?" Isaac, taking a seat next to Randal, asked.
"…What?" The owner frowned.
"Lend me an empty glass."
"Ten copper."
"Fucking ten copper for an empty glass—hey! You're actually paying for that?" Randal watched as Isaac casually handed over the indicated amount. The owner handed him the glass he just wiped.
Isaac used [Condensation] to turn the existing gas into liquid, which the glass collected. Compared to the past where he could only do it drop-by-drop, now, he was able to convert at a bigger scale—which was possible because he wasn't operating [Condensation] by its standard means, but by directly manipulating its essence: pressure and temperature.
Others watched in disbelief as Isaac proceeded to drink the water he formed out of the air.
"You…" The man reacted, clearly surprised by his performance. "You are like him."
"What?" Camilla frowned.
"Isaac." On the other hand, Randal nudged him. "Fill me a glass too. I'm about to die of thirst."
"Five copper."
"…Really?" Randal grumbled as he handed over five copper to Isaac. The amount meant nothing to nobles like him.
Filling the glass, Isaac slid it to Randal. Then, he looked at the man, "like whom?"
"The greatest king of Helios Empire," he whispered.
"Greatest?" Vane placed his hand underneath his chin. "You must be referring to Eioras Helios. One who founded the empire."
"Don't talk if you know nothing, kid." The man snorted. "Helios Empire was one of the weakest countries by the time of its establishment. What Eioras Helios founded wasn't an empire, but a kingdom."
"Then, who are you referring to?"
"Ixion Helios."
"What?" Camilla's eyes widened, before she broke out a laughter. "Are you real?"
"What are you laughing at, girl?"
"That's the name of that foolish prince who chose ten F-rank skills over S-rank!"
The man glared at her. Then, "get out." He, pointing at the exit, growled at her.
"Have fun deluding." Camilla stood up as if she was planning to do so anyway. Glaring back, she turned and stomped out of the building.
"Where is she going?" Randal raised an eyebrow.
"Who knows." Vane sighed, "let her do whatever she wants to do. I am done with her."
The man turned back at Isaac, "boy, your skill?"
"Let's exchange information." Isaac, receiving the glass back from Randal, filled it back up and slid it to Vane this time around, who was staring at him intently with five copper in his hand. Received the five copper. "First tell us, is Red Wolf still around the area?"
"That rascal? Yes. Always has been, since my old man's years." He jabbed at the back with his thumb, "just go to the ruins and you'll be welcomed. Beware that it formed a pack of its own should you have a suicide wish."
"…A pack?" Vane grimaced.
Ignoring Vane, the man rubbed his beard. "Just one thing: don't use the flare signal in there. Red Wolf goes berserk."
"Why?" Randal tilted his head. He was ignored.
"Now, answer the question." The man stared at Isaac.
"F-rank: [Condensation]." Isaac stated.
"[Condensation]… hah," the man's lips curled up. "I knew it." He then asked, "do you have any more skills other than that?"
"No. This is all." Of course, there was [The Prism], but Isaac won't be revealing that.
The man looked a little disappointed. "Your name?"
"Isaac Nameless."
Randal and Vane looked at him in surprise, but he ignored them.
"Nameless?" The man grinned, "now, isn't that a strange surname."
"It isn't a surname." Vane shook his head. "It's a brand—"
"Shut up. It's a surname if I say it is." The man interrupted Vane in annoyance. Vane sighed before returning to his water.
Isaac found this man quite pleasant unlike others. It was primarily because unlike those whom he had been dealing with in the capital, this man viewed him rather favorably from the start.
"Pleasure to meet you, Isaac Nameless." The man reached his hand out, "I am Dodyon Helios."
"Helios?!" Randal yelled in disbelief, but he was ignored again.
"I am a fellow owner of F-rank skill like you. F-rank: [Bubble Formation]."
Isaac accepted the hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Dodyon Helios."
It was a strange meeting, but one that Isaac found himself welcoming—while Vane and Randal looked at the man, Dodyon, as if they figured why his personality wasn't likeable.
…
After a momentary rest, they left the building. The three of them—Isaac, Vane, and Randal—walked across the horizon toward the ruins that were visible from afar.
"Isaac. Do whatever you're doing to yourself to me as well." Randal said as he held his tongue out in heat.
"Deal with it. [Condensation] doesn't allow that much."
Randal sighed at that.
"That Camilla Hedron… you got to be kidding me." Meanwhile, Vane was mumbling about Camilla as he viewed someone's footprints—clearly Camilla's—laid on the sandy path ahead of them. "A pack, that old man said. A pack! Even if she has [Mystical Swords], she's got no experience. Is she okay?"
"At least assessor—whatever his name was—went with her." Randal said in annoyance as he picked his ear. "That woman's fine."
"So, what's the plan?" Isaac asked.
"Still the same as we discussed." Vane replied.
"You two do whatever you want to do, and I do whatever I want to do." Randal replied at the same time, without an ounce of worry.
Vane looked at him. "We are talking about a pack of wolves whose leader has sentience and B-rank skill."
"Piece of cake."
"You—" Vane sighed, "whatever."
"You seem experienced." Isaac asked Randal. "Have you been hunting?"
"Not the beasts. Humans, yes." Randal grinned ferociously. "I've been beating people on a regular basis even before I acquired my skill. Beasts will be no different."
Isaac wondered how true his words were. 'Beating people' was ambiguous. It could mean that those whom he 'beat' were peers who didn't have skills like him, or that he only faced those whose physiques weren't that of a fighter and whose skills were low-ranked.
"So don't order me around, Vane Abias." Randal looked down on Vane who was shorter than him. "I am better than you in this aspect."
"I am not trying to order—"
"Shut up. When Camilla Hedron wasn't talking, it was you who made my ears bleed. Talk about my surprise when Isaac Nameless ended up being the easiest one to deal with."
Vane shut his mouth, obviously enraged from the glare he gave Randal. Randal chuckled at that before rolling his shoulders and stretching. "Don't be too late, slowpokes." Leaving his final words, he picked up the pace and ran toward the ruins, leaving Isaac and Vane.
Vane stopped the walk. His expression was cold as he watched Randal's figure that was getting smaller in his sight. "…Don't order me around? Better?" He whispered, but Isaac was able to pick it up thanks to his senses, enhanced by [The Prism]. "You, Randal Ursula? Than me?" He then laughed in a mix of amusement and anger. "Look at your stupid ass, heading to ruins with no plan, no preparation. Of course I'd order you. You're stupid." He spat out the words, gnashing his teeth. "You're just Randal Ursula. How can you be better than me?"
Isaac raised an eyebrow. Vane, someone who managed his emotion well throughout their ten days of trip, seemed triggered by the word 'better.'
Vane then turned to face Isaac. "You know what? Let's act separately." All of a sudden, he stated words that contradicted the discussions they had held for the past two weeks. Having just pointed out Randal's flaws, he had fallen into the exact same rashness. With statement alone, Vane became a hypocrite in Isaac's eyes.
"What?"
Vane smirked as he ruffled his hair. "I have no qualms in working alone. Pack of wolves, B-rank skill, whatever… Randal Ursula should be the one to be worried, not me." Without elaborating further, he stormed off, leaving Isaac to blink.
Never did Isaac think a person's thoughts could be changed this quickly.
"Vane Abias… hah."
Isaac learned that Vane wasn't as rational as he initially believed.
He understood why Vane got along with Silas Fulgur.