When I opened my eyes, it was already the afternoon of our 14th day here.
"Oh, you're finally awake?"
Yato was munching on a sandwich, relishing a snack while my stomach grumbled in hunger as usual.
"Angh," I groaned while trying to sit up straight.
My vision was blurred, and it was clear from the throbbing headache I was feeling that I might have had a concussion.
After my vision cleared, I glanced around and realized that we were currently in the middle of the woods.
The tall trees stood proudly around us, covered in a thick coat of snow, much like the wintry ground beneath our feet.
Surrounding us were huge boulders, which was a common sight since we were in the mountainous terrains.
"Are you alright?" Yato walked up to me with concern. "Here, take this."
He threw me a jacket.
"Hmm?" I glanced back at him, puzzled.
"Your clothes are in tatters. It's better to change out of them," Yato responded to my questioning gaze.
Frowning, I looked down and discovered my T-shirt was in shreds.
Although my slacks remained in better condition, the lack of upper body coverage left me feeling chilled.
Nodding in understanding, I slipped on the jacket.
Oh, it was so very warm~!
I had been feeling cold for so long that I had almost forgotten the sensation of warmth.
"Feeling cosy now?" Yato asked, an amused smile adorning his face.
As I basked in the newfound warmth of the jacket, I couldn't help but shoot Yato a grateful look. "Yeah, much better. Thanks."
Yato, still enjoying his sandwich, chimed in, "You gave us quite a spectacle back there with that cliff explosion. Impressive, albeit a bit reckless."
I rubbed my head, still processing the events. "I didn't expect the fall to be so... dramatic."
Climbing a snow mountain like this one wasn't a big deal for Yato.
He could climb this entire snow mountain range in a heartbeat if he wanted to.
But right now, he wasn't in any mood for that.
He just wanted to let his body soak in sombre morning sunlight.
Also, he has to check on Lucas too. If the situation allowed Yato rather would be in the hot spring that is inside but because of Lucas, his disciple he couldn't do that right now.
A few hours ago when Yato was sleeping, Lucas sneaked out of the cave and hunted the Frost Claw Bear pack residing at the peak of this mountain.
He wanted a revenge match with them.
In reality, Yato was aware that his disciple was sneaking away, but he chose not to stop him for one reason:
Firstly, Yato believed that Lucas was now prepared to take those mana beasts on by himself.
After all, when Yato threw Lucas at the start towards those mana beast monsters, Lucas managed to take out the eyes of one Frost Claw Bear and come close to killing the other two Frost Claw Bears.
But at that moment he couldn't do that, he was simply too weak.
...But it's a different story this time around.
Anyway, when Lucas ran off to hunt down those Frost-Claw Bears, the echoes of battle and explosions resonated throughout the tranquil morning in the mountain range.
Naturally, Yato heard them and didn't give it much thought until now...
Right now, all sounds had ceased. No screams, explosions, or sounds of combat could be heard.
The western mountain range was silent.
Of course, from time to time, Yato checked on his disciple using his [Mana Domain] to see if he was okay.
And currently, Yato is on his way to check up on Lucas in person.
After around five minutes, Yato reached the top of the mountain.
"...Well, damn."
There he saw a gruesome sight.