The legend of Ur

Seven days later, an unknown snowfield.

Yuri stood there with his arms crossed, looking at the vast expanse of white snow before him, and fell silent.

"If I'm not mistaken... Griffon, are we lost?"

"Be confident, buddy. Drop the 'is it?' We're just lost." Griffon was equally bewildered.

"Perhaps we should buy a map?" Yuri pondered, stroking his chin.

"How dare you say that! It's all your fault for insisting on eating that strawberry sundae!!" Griffon strongly condemned someone's hindsight criticism.

"But it's a very limited edition, and I'd die regretting it if I didn't try it!" Yuri defended his actions.

"Ha, all I know is that if we keep failing to get out, you'll soon die without regrets," Griffon sneered.

"Then I hope my grave is covered with pizzas and strawberry sundaes."

"Oh! You're hopeless..."

Griffon sighed and covered his forehead with his wing, but suddenly heard Yuri's joyful shout.

"Griffon, look! There's a town ahead!"

"That's a mirage..."

Griffon shook his head hopelessly; they had been lost for almost three days, and there was no town in sight.

"You idiot, snow isn't a desert, where would you get a mirage?"

"That's right!"

Griffon suddenly realized what was happening and looked up, calling out, "Yuri, let's go!"

"Wait for me, you idiot!"

Yuri circled the street, scanning his surroundings.

He now needs to find a shop that sells maps and buy one before he can continue his journey...

"Coo--"

A long, drawn-out rumble echoed, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around. The simple, honest people looked at the strangely dressed boy and chuckled softly.

Okay, let's fill our stomachs first.

"Young man, you're not from our town, are you?" a kind-looking middle-aged man asked with a smile.

"Yes, sir, I came out on a trip, but I accidentally got lost in the snowstorm," Yuri said awkwardly, scratching his head.

"Since that's the case, it's almost dinner time anyway, would you like to come over to my house?" the uncle warmly invited.

Yuri had been wandering in the snow for almost three days, was starving. In addition, the uncle was so kind and he had no reason to refuse, so he accepted the invitation.

It was during the conversation at the dinner table that Yuri learned the man's Macken, the town Brago, and Macken was a hunter who lived nearby.

"Yuri, you must be a mage, right?" the middle-aged man asked, sipping a steaming cup of tea.

"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Yuri wondered. Are even ordinary middle-aged men on the street this perceptive these days?

"Haha," the uncle laughed, "In our northern continent, ordinary people wouldn't walk in the snow wearing just a trench coat; that could kill them."

"Uh... I see." Yuri suddenly realized, because he had subconsciously overlooked this point due to the magical protection he possessed.

"And just a few years ago, young mages like you were frequently visiting our Northern Continent," Uncle Macken remarked, his tone brimming with pride.

"Years ago?"

Yuri heard another meaning in these words and asked doubtfully, "Then why are there fewer people coming now?"

"Sigh..." Uncle Macken sighed, taking a large gulp of hot tea. "It's all that damned Deliora's fault!"

"Deliora?" Yuri asked, puzzled.

"That's a terrifying Devil that roamed our northern continent a few years ago, and it will destroy everything in its sight."

"Deliora's power is terrifying; even the most prosperous town can be destroyed by it within a single day."

"If it weren't for it, you probably wouldn't have gotten lost in the snow for so long before finally finding a town."

"In fact, even our Brago Town has been damaged by it. If Lady Ur hadn't intervened in time to seal it away, perhaps even we..."

Yuri, unusually interested in the Devil's presence, chimed in, "So, this Devil is now unsealed, which is why no one's coming?"

"Oh, no, that's not it."

Uncle Macken said regretfully, "The main reason is that Lady Ur's sacrifice has caused many young people who came to seek her out to become her disciples to lose their purpose."

"Ur?"

Yuri felt the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard someone mention it before.

But who could it be...?

Oh, right!

Yuri had a flash of inspiration and finally found a clue in the corner of his mind.

Because he had come to the Northern Continent to find the Hearth Family, he had specifically chatted with Gildarts beforehand.

He had thought that guy had traveled all over the country and might know some information, but it turned out that even he had never heard of it.

However, although they didn't get the information they wanted about the Hearth Family...

But Gildarts did talk to him about the northern continent, and it seems that the name Ur was mentioned in the conversation.

"Lady Ur is the most powerful mage on our Northern Continent. Despite possessing strength comparable to the Ten Wizard Saints, she is always so approachable."

"In the end, it was she who sacrificed her own life to finally seal Deliora away."

"If it weren't for her, our Brago Town, and perhaps even the entire Northern Continent, might have been destroyed..."

Uncle Macken talked on and on about Ur, his words filled with admiration and appreciation, and even a tiny bit of hidden affection... he was practically a fanatical fan.

However, Yuri could understand, after all, that was the person who stood in front of everyone and sacrificed his own life to save them.

Although there are rumors that Ur rescued them incidentally while trying to save her two sons.

But whatever Ur's true purpose may be, sealing Deliora, saving Brago Town, and even saving the entire northern continent... these are undeniable facts.

Indeed, just as Gildarts said, he is a truly remarkable mage.

Although Yuri ultimately didn't get any information about the Hearth Family, he at least replenished his energy and heard a good story, so the trip wasn't entirely in vain.

Most importantly, he got a map of the northern continent from Uncle Macken, so he no longer had to worry about getting lost.

After saying goodbye to Uncle Macken, Yuri smiled confidently and embarked on his journey once again with Griffon.

And so, another seven days passed.

Yuri crossed his arms and gazed at the still vast, desolate snowscape before him, lost in thought.

If my deduction is correct...

"Yes, Yuri, we're lost again."