There was nothing tasty or fun in that small town, so after they finished shopping, and after Annie bought some fresh local pastries they had never seen before, the three of them returned to the carriage and hurried on toward their next destination.
"..."
However, after reading in the carriage for a while, Fern noticed the night darkening outside and mist rising along the mountain road. Remembering something she had heard while shopping, she suddenly turned her gaze away and spoke worriedly to her teacher, Frieren, who was still leisurely reading in the brightly lit sitting area:
"Lady Frieren!"
"When I was buying things just now, several kind shopkeepers mentioned something. They said the mountain hasn't been very safe recently, especially at night?"
"They also said..."
"They said someone had seen ghosts, and not just any ghosts—they looked like people who had already died. Aside from a few who managed to escape, many people had simply gone missing."
"Some people said they were undead, while others said they were ghosts..."
"Do you have any idea what's going on?"
The shopkeeper had advised Fern and Frieren to wait until dawn before setting out, but Frieren had refused.
Even though those people had spoken with such certainty, and even though many others had confirmed that it was true, nothing had changed Frieren's mind. Perhaps because she was a mage, her teacher didn't seem particularly worried, regardless of whether those people were telling the truth.
But not being worried was one thing. Now that the carriage had entered the mountains, and since Fern had heard about the incident earlier, she naturally had to discuss it properly with her teacher, Frieren.
"..."
Hearing this, Frieren stopped turning the pages. She shifted her gaze, instinctively glanced out the window, and then turned back to Fern.