Twenty minutes later-

Tatata* Tatata* Tatata* Tatata* Tatata* Tatata*

On a paved road, I rode Bellum while holding a spear, who galloped at the lead. Half a step behind me were the leader of the Monster Hunter mercenaries and Axia, whose horses were too afraid to ride beside Bellum. And behind us were 11 other Monster Hunters, all of them at the Peak Silver Realm, each riding a Bronze-Realm Magic Horse.

Bronze Realm Magic Horses were rare steeds, able to gallop about 10 miles at once, instead of only 1-2 miles. And in a day, they could travel about 150 miles, given there are enough stops. On that note, Bellum and the pegasus could probably travel several times faster and further, but we were limited by the speed and endurance of the weakest horses, after all.

At this time, the sole Intermediate Gold-Realm leader, a middle-aged Judean man named Uriah, with brown skin and a thick brown beard, who was wearing light armor and holding a shield and spear, reported to me.

"Your Holiness, we will first advance through the Salt Track to the Large Town of Reate, stopping at every resting post and small trading town in between to let the horses drink and rest, and we will stay overnight in Reate. From there, we will take the dirt roads south and up the mountain, where the monsters have been spotted. The hunt for the monster tribe, which might not be stationary, might take three days at the shortest due to uneven roads, and several weeks in the worst case."

"I see," I replied.

Honestly, I felt a toothache when I thought about every extra day not being in my cozy home, enjoying the steady passive flow of points. After all, where else could I get +3,000 daily points? Certainly not in a regular large town of maybe 5,000-10,000!

"Let's hope that there are plenty of high-level monsters to make up for my losses... Jenny, give me good luck." I prayed, thinking about my cute and beloved wife.

Our group continued traveling, making short stops to let the horses drink water and eat fodder, and longer stops when we arrived at a town. After eating, I also went to check the local blacksmiths, hoping to fulfill Sertoria's prophecy.

I checked the wares, the blacksmith, the apprentices, and heck, the customers, too!

Nothing. A complete letdown. Actually, there was one apprentice who had half-decent potential, but his personality was shit. He had the unholy combination of Hardworking, Thankless, Lustful, and Thieving. I could only imagine what he was doing to the poor blacksmith's wife or daughter!

Anyway, we continued advancing until we finally reached Reate at around late noon. While we could continue southward, that would be pretty stupid, considering we only had 2-3 hours before sunset.

The large town was properly walled, and although it wasn't at the level of a city, it had a thick wooden wall that could block most lower-realm monsters from entering. Additionally, we observed groups of Praetorian Guards, wearing high-quality legionary armor, patrolling the walls and the surrounding areas. Outside the city were also some monster carcasses, including lowly little shits like Goblins, to more serious hitters, like wolves and even a Mountain Troll.

Since they were long dead, I only got 10-odd points. Meh.

However, we didn't go directly to the town, but rather to the temporary military outpost that was situated about a mile away.

Once we got to the outpost's gate, we were only briefly stopped at the entrance by the praetorian guards, who looked at us in awe or gulped. Or at least at me.

Bellum is indeed awe-inspiring, being larger than large warhorses, and I am also a very tall man in an impressive suit of armor. Even the most uneducated ignoramus would know I am a top dog.

I didn't speak, since I felt it was a bit awkward, but luckily, Uriah did the talking for me.

"We are the Monster Hunting Team, accompanying His Holiness, the Champion of Mars, Lord Vibius Ausonius himself, to slay the monsters in the nearby mountains! Let us through!" Uriah said with dignity to the gatekeepers.

"Yes, Sir!" The gatekeepers snapped out of it, saluted, and made way.

Well, that is one way to do it. I should probably make a habit of bringing several less awe-inspiring but savvy fellows with me when I go out.

Bringing our horses to the outpost's stables, I carefully instructed the stable boys how to treat Bellum, lest he accidentally kill someone.

"Bring him only top-quality fodder, because he is a picky eater. Make sure to establish proper eye contact and talk to it, explaining what you want to do. If it agrees, it will nod. If it turns its head away, don't push it. And don't touch him without receiving his consent, or he might bite your head off or kick you so hard that only the gods would be able to save you."

Leaving the somewhat pale but understanding stable boys aside, I went to visit the local blacksmiths in Reate, but was sorely disappointed.

"I really don't understand what Sertoria meant... Which blacksmith is she talking about? And what do they have?" I bitterly asked myself.

With that in mind, I dejectedly returned to the outpost to get some rest.

.

.

.

Within the belly of a mountain-

Tang* Tang* Tang* Tang*

Two short figures stood beside an anvil. One held a piece of hot metal using metal tongs, while the other hammered it into shape. With each hammer strike, their masked faces lit before returning to the previous darkness.

Finally, satisfied with his work, the blacksmith stopped hammering and gave the order.

"Dunk it."

Without saying a word, the helper took the piece of metal and submerged it in a barrel of water.

Tsh*

Steam rose as the metal cooled down, becoming tempered. Once the steam stopped, the helper lifted the axehead and let the blacksmith observe it. It was black, made from Black Iron, a type of magic metal known for its toughness.

Seeing there were no obvious flaws, the blacksmith nodded.

"Place it with the others and reheat the furnace." 

The helper wordlessly placed the axehead beside seven other ready axeheads before handing it to the blacksmith. The helper then went to the furnace, adding fuel before manning the bellows. Meanwhile, the blacksmith took one of the last two newly cast axeheads with the metal tongs, wanting to heat it in the furnace.

Just then-

Thud* Thud* Thud* Thud*

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, making the helper shake, clenching his gloved hands, but the blacksmith was steady, picking up the axehead and going to the furnace.

Soon, a monstrous figure loomed over them, its voice raspy, boorish, and mean.

"Hey, shorties! Where are our weapons!? It's already been a week!" The monster demanded.

"We are still making them." The blacksmith calmly replied.

"Then when will it be ready?" The monster frowned.

"About two months, give or take." The blacksmith said.

Bam*

The monster slammed the wall with its fist. Its face was even uglier than it already was.

"So long?! Why is that?! I barely asked you to make ten high-quality enchanted Black-Iron axes!" The monster growled.

"And we are doing as you requested, Sir. Making quality weapons takes time." The blacksmith explained with an even voice.

"It only took you a few days to carve and enchant our other weapons! We provided you with a forge, tools, and materials, so why do you take so long?!" The monster growled.

Without stopping his work, the blacksmith replied with as much patience as he could muster to explain to the dimwitted monster, as if explaining to a child.

"Metalworking is not as simple as carving and enchanting a wooden or bone weapon, Sir. We need to heat the furnace, smelt metal, cast it into shape, hammer it on the anvil, and temper it. After we finish this batch of axeheads, we still need to affix them to good handles so they will be reliable, grind them so they can have a sharp edge, and then etch magic runes. Even if you pressure me to do it faster, it is simply impossible without lowering the quality."

The monster narrowed its eyes at the blacksmith, weighing the validity of his words, before speaking.

"Fine... But it better be good weapons. Otherwise, we will eat your woman's other arm, or perhaps one of your kids." The monster said with a vicious, yellow-toothed smile.

The helper shook, but the blacksmith replied with an even tone.

"Of course, Sir. I put my heart and soul into every weapon I make..."

"Hmph." The monster snorted before leaving.

Once the monster's loud footsteps were out of earshot, the blacksmith turned to look at his helper, who was still shaking.

"Calm your rage."

Whoosh*

The helper sharply turned his head, his eyes burning more intensely than the fire within the furnace.

"I am as angry as you are, but I know that anger and recklessness are our greatest enemies. They are stronger, and even if we are unafraid of dying, they still hold your mother and siblings hostage. We can only hold on and pray to the gods for swift rescue to arrive." The blacksmith said with a calm voice.

However, his clenched hands exposed his inner anger and frustration.

The helper closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cooled his temper, his eyes becoming serene and focused.

"Good. Let's continue... and hope they follow the smoke." The blacksmith muttered as he returned to his work.

.

.

.

We advanced southeast along the Tiber River with our horses, where the foliage was the least dense, and there was a source of water.

As we advanced, we also encountered some weak Iron and Bronze realm monsters, which the hunters swiftly dealt with. It was honestly boring.

Every time we camped, we let Axia do a scouting run with the pegasus to see if there was anything odd. So far, she found nothing.

"Sigh... when will we find those damn monsters and get this done with? If we don't finish this quickly, I will turn 18 in the wilderness and awaken Breeding Bull all the way to the Gold Realm. Who knows what would happen then?"

Just as I was worrying about it, a white pegasus landed, carrying Axia on its back. Dismounting it, Axia approached us and sat next to me.

"Any luck?" I asked, drinking a meat and wild vegetable soup that the Monster Hunters prepared.

"No, master. They are well-hidden, likely hiding within caves." Axia shook her head as she received a bowl of soup.

"Hm..." I could help but frown.

"At this rate, it might really take two weeks..." I felt troubled.

"However, I did notice something strange." Axia suddenly added.

This made me and the Monster Hunters look over.

"What?" I asked.

"I saw a trail of black smoke coming from the top of the mountain. But when I looked over, there were no settlements." Axia said, frowning.

This made everyone else also frown.

"From the top of the mountain? Odd. There are no active volcanoes in this area..." A female Germanic scout named Gudrun muttered.

"There is no smoke without fire. There must be someone living within the mountain's belly." A burly half-dwarf warrior said while stroking his beard.

"Then it should be from a ventilation system..." A clever-looking dogkin archer muttered.

"Odd. Usually, monsters seldom use fire, eating meat raw. And their robust bodies don't require fire for heating. It isn't even winter yet. Perhaps a fire-type monster moved in? But such monsters prefer active volcanoes." Uriah mused.

I also frowned, but for a different reason.

"There is no smoke without fire... who needs fire? Cooking needs fire... and Blacksmiths also need fire!"

I widened my eyes in realisation, remembering the clue Sertoria left me.

Turning to look at the hunters, I spoke.

"Do monsters tend to forge weapons?"

"Your Holiness, only intelligent humanoid monsters use weapons, and even then, they rely on looting from us, the enlightened races, or creating makeshift weapons. Even if they do make weapons, it is usually through holding a blacksmith captive and forcing him to make the weapons for them." Uriah explained while frowning.

"That's it!" My eyes lit up, and I stood up.

"We follow the smoke!"