# Chapter 12
As Kaian followed the Obsidian Boar's footprints, a land covered in ash eventually appeared before him.
It looked almost like a desert, except thick ash covered the ground instead of sand.
Eldarin had told him Flame Veil grew at the border where three places met.
The Ash-Covered Land.
The Flame Thicket.
And Ignis Mons.
The Ash-Covered Land? The Flame Thicket? No, I'm asking where those places are.
You'll know as soon as you see them.
Stop saying that and give me a map!
I created this space. I don't need a map.
...Forget it.
Once he actually arrived, though, Kaian had to admit Eldarin was right.
He could immediately tell which place was which.
The scenery looked exactly like the names.
The Ash-Covered Land was a vast land buried beneath ash.
Beside it lay the Flame Thicket, a region of bushes burning endlessly.
And at the far edge of the land towered Ignis Mons.
It would not have looked strange even inside a nightmare.
An herb grows in a place like this? That thing can't be a normal plant either.
Of course, it still could not be stranger than Eldarin, who had created this place.
The important thing is that Eldarin didn't lie. Her naming sense is just... bad.
That meant Flame Veil had to be here somewhere.
Kaian pulled several thick socks from his backpack and layered them over his feet.
Then he changed into the wooden clogs he had brought.
He wanted to block even a little of the heat.
Even so, the moment the wooden soles sank into the ash, hot air surged upward.
Step. Step.
Piggy really lives in a place like this?
Kaian had read that Obsidian Boars could run freely across the Ash-Covered Land.
But forget running.
Kaian could barely walk.
Each step felt as though it took away a whole handful of stamina.
If I'd stopped whenever I wanted to rest earlier, I'd already be running out of time.
The volcanic region was not merely hot.
The air scratched at his lungs as if they were burning from the inside.
His skin stung like countless tiny sparks were striking him.
Kaian had carefully spread Cobalt Poultice across his entire body.
He even coated a handkerchief with it and covered his mouth and nose.
But it still could not completely solve the problem.
Ugh... I feel like I'm being cooked from the inside.
Step. Step. Step.
Still, he had to keep moving.
Stopping to rest in this burning land was even more dangerous.
Whenever one pair of wooden clogs became too charred to use, Kaian had no choice but to stop and replace them.
Each time, the violent heat immediately clung to him.
I'm not going to suffocate, am I?
Kaian held his breath while bending down to tie the straps of a fresh pair.
Otherwise, he might burn the inside of his nose.
He also avoided looking to his left while walking.
The Flame Thicket burned endlessly there.
What a noisy place.
Crackle. Pop. Crackle.
Whenever the sound pulled his eyes toward the burning thorn bushes, his heartbeat became strangely fast.
It grew hard to look away from the flames.
For some reason, letting go of his reason almost felt like the proper thing to do.
I know this feeling.
It's dangerous.
Kaian had felt something similar while running from the attackers.
He had felt it again when he threatened Eldarin with the brass candlestick.
It seemed the huge amount of fire mana filling the volcanic region was stimulating the flames inside his inner world.
I need to ignore it completely.
Kaian avoided looking at the flames as much as possible.
Then, in silence, he continued across the gray desert toward Ignis Mons.
***
The pocket watch had stopped around midnight.
Kaian stared blankly at the broken watch.
This is bad.
I was too careless. I really thought it could handle the heat.
He had no idea how much time had passed since the watch stopped.
Even if he forced himself to think positively and assumed it had broken only moments ago...
He was still running out of time.
Where did I waste time? When I met Piggy? Or after I entered the ash desert?
Kaian shook his head.
Thinking about it now would not help.
He hurried forward again.
Step. Step.
I probably have around eight hours to harvest the herb and return.
Maybe only six.
Can I really do it?
Doubt slowly rose with the heat of the Ash-Covered Land.
My body is in worse condition than I expected.
There was no doubt he had light burns across his whole body.
His stomach was beginning to turn.
His head throbbed.
Judging from that, the handkerchief had not blocked all the toxic gas either.
He probably had less than one scoop of Cobalt Poultice left.
And only one pair of wooden clogs remained.
Step. Step. Step.
If I collapse here, the best-case scenario is becoming Piggy's food.
Only a few hours ago, Kaian had driven a spear into an Obsidian Boar's belly.
Soon, that same Obsidian Boar might be burying its snout in Kaian's flesh.
Such was the wonder of nature.
Ah... the cruel laws of nature.
Kaian filled his mind with pointless thoughts.
The moment he truly realized he was about to die, there was a high chance Liana's Word Magic would activate.
My inner world can't endure Mother's Word Magic right now.
I'll collapse just like last time.
Kaian remembered collapsing from the pain of the Word Magic in the room with the tree and mirror.
Back then, he had fallen onto a wooden floor.
Now he stood on a gray desert hot enough to burn through four pairs of wooden clogs.
If he collapsed here, the next step would obviously be saying goodbye to this world.
