As they left Regina, the proper road ended, and soon a desolate wilderness spread out before them. The hay wagon raced tirelessly through that dark and rugged field.
Rattle, rattle.
Every time the wagon shook, acrid dust rose from the parched ground.
“This isn’t the usual route for merchant caravans. There isn’t even a single decent signpost. I wonder if that coachman really knows the way.”
Masain whispered quietly, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Indeed, as he said, once they exited the city of perpetual night, the signs of human presence vanished as if by magic. The places where small villages once stood were already in ruins, not even the foundations of houses remaining, and the land where roads once lay was now a chaotic tangle of dry grass and gravel.
“You don’t need to be so tense, Sir Masain.”
“But isn’t the north already a lawless zone? We’re passing through such an open and defenseless path. How can I not be on guard?”
“Hmm.”
Seongjin hugged the moderately warmed Demon King’s lamp and adjusted his posture.
“Sir Masain, do you see that mark carved on the corner of the wagon? There should be four small dots arranged in a triangular shape.”
Masain turned to look where Seongjin pointed. After enhancing his vision with aura and examining it for a while, he could vaguely…