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TL: ALT
Chapter 57 – Day 2 of Exploration
The next day, I started making charcoal and checking the kiln to see if it had dried out and cracked.
“If it’s a conifer, it’s in the north.”
I begin preparing to head north to cut down trees, armed with a palm sap axe and a king anaconda saber.
Hel and Sylvia go to the entrance to check on the monster corpses they had buried before. Chel also goes as their escort.
Jennifer stayed behind, so I invited her to carry some of the luggage.
“By the way, were you a tanker?”
“Yes, I used to be a tanker who could also use healing magic. I thought I could be of some use to Makyo-san since I can withstand a lot of damage.”
Jennifer said as she equipped a wooden shield.
As we slowly started to run north, Jennifer still couldn’t keep up with my speed. However, she could still block the monsters that attacked her with her shield and keep up with me.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“No, it’s okay. Let’s try to keep up.”
This time, I followed Jennifer.
Perhaps because she was being watched, Jennifer’s movements were stiff. More specifically, she seemed to take a defensive stance against every monster she encountered.
“Jennifer, let’s try not to fight as much as possible. There’s no need to fight monsters that don’t attack us.”
“That’s true, but I can’t help but get excited. It’s like I have a sense of duty to protect…”
So Jennifer is a battle junkie, after all.
“We can’t eat them even if we hunt them, they’re just a burden.”
“Oh, that’s right…”
“Let’s hurry. I want to have the charcoal kiln ready by noon.”
“Yes.”
She had a strange mood the other day, but now she’s quite calm. She’s so obedient it’s almost scary.
I’ve decided to throw away the attacking monsters. I can’t fight them all, and if I throw them far away, they won’t come near me.
As the forest began to cool down, we reached a forest of coniferous trees that stretched straight up to the sky. There was a huge moose monster sleeping on a small hill, but otherwise, the forest of the demonic land was completely ordinary. The plants were noisy, though.
“Makyo-san, what are you going to do with this?”
“Huh? What?”
“Pine cones are coming out of the ground, you know?”
As Jennifer says, pine cones are falling to the ground and bursting.
“That’s not unusual in the demonic land, is it?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“If you get hurt, you should tell Hel and get some healing potions. Let’s just cut them off quickly.”
“Wait a minute! Isn’t that weasel monster using ice magic? It’s as big as a wild bear! Oh, there’s a black mass over there!”
“There are such things.”
“But! What is that…! Hey, Makyo-san!”
I looked over to see what she was talking about and saw that the tree monster Treant was being attacked by a swarm of longhorn beetle monsters.
“It’s a forest in the demonic land, after all. It would be inconvenient if the trees I cut down were attacked by those longhorn beetle monsters, so I’ll make a fire.”
I gathered some wood and started a fire.
The pine cones that were flying around caught fire, and in a moment, the whole area was on fire.
“Oh no!”
“What are you doing, Makyo-san?!”
For the time being, I caught the weasel monster that was using ice magic and swung it around. Sensing danger, the weasel monster that used ice magic spat out ice magic around it.
The surroundings turned into a snowy landscape, and even though the fire was extinguished for the time being, the entire demonic land was almost engulfed in a forest fire.
“That was close! Let’s look around for any fires that haven’t been extinguished yet.”
I gave instructions as I stepped onto the burning ground.
“Please be careful.”
The weasel monster that used ice magic was called Ice Weasel, and I gave it the dried meat I had brought. It spun around and didn’t seem to want to eat right now, but it would probably recover eventually.
While we were making a fuss, Treant had been eaten alive by the long-horned beetle monster. Before we knew it, the Great Tit monsters had gathered in the sky and were targeting the long-horned beetle monster.
“So that’s why the forest in the demonic land isn’t being eaten by the long-horned beetle monster.”
The environment of the demonic land is maintained by various monsters and plants.
“It’s probably best not to do too much. Let’s just cut down the trees we need and get out of here.”
“That’s right. If we stay too long, Makyo-san might do something.”
I think so, too.
I cut two thin logs that looked easy to carry, and then I cut off the branches and made holes in them to make them easier to carry.
“Okay, let’s go.”
After patting the weasel on the head, the two of us carried the logs home. Jennifer held the log properly, so I was glad we had a good balance.
Even if a monster approached, all I had to do was let go of Jennifer’s hand and swing the log around, and the monster would go away. I was able to scare the big monsters away by ramming them with the log.
We returned to the cave before noon, so I made a small hill by raising the ground. I dug a horizontal hole in the hill and made a kiln for charcoal.
Meanwhile, Chel and the others also returned and started arranging the bones of the monsters.
“Yo-yo-you’re back? I-I-I am going to make weapons out of the bones, so tell me what weapons you want.”
Sylvia, who had become a weapon dealer in the demonic land, asked.
“Weapons, huh? I wonder. What do you guys want?”
“A staff.”
“Me too.”
Chel and Hel choose the same.
“I want a mace.”
Jennifer seems to have made up her mind as well.
“What kind of weapon should I get? Maybe a knife?”
“W-w-would a knife be okay?”
I tilt my head at this question. What kind of weapon suits me?
“What did you use before you came to the demonic land?”
Hel asked.
“A sword? No, I haven’t really fought monsters that much.”
“You should make a big one for Makyo.”
Chel told Sylvia.
“That’s right, even today he swung around both the monster and the log.”
Jennifer also taught Sylvia.
“I-I-I understand.”
“Well, even if you understand…”
Sylvia nodded broadly and marked the femur of a large boar. What kind of weapon will be made?
After lunch, it was time to make charcoal.
I cut the logs into appropriate sizes and arranged them in the dug-out charcoal kiln. I made a small hole in the ground to allow steam and other gases to escape. I lit a small twig and threw it into the kiln, making sure it caught fire. If I blocked the entrance, the wood inside would burn incompletely and turn into charcoal.
“You’re good at this.”
Hel praised me.
“I used to help a lot at home. I think it’ll be ready by tomorrow.”
In the evening, we explored the south side of the cave.
As we went, we exchanged information about the plants of the demonic land, such as razor grass and egg mushrooms.
“Basically, it’s best not to eat anything the forest rats won’t eat.”
I said to everyone, pointing to the forest rats on the branches.
“Since we’re here, why don’t you keep another one?”
As Chel said, I caught it and kept it.
“We’ll let this forest rat taste the plants we don’t understand. But it’s probably safer not to eat anything that looks poisonous.”
“No, I’ve seen you use it, but this mushroom looks like something that is eaten outside the demonic land.”
Hel looked at the egg mushroom and made a hard face.
“Is that so? Don’t touch it too much and don’t inhale the spores.”
When I warned her, Hel let go of the mushroom.
“The bendgrass is a complete trap, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. It looks like it would be useful in the defense of the demonic land, so let’s plant some more near the entrance.”
“T-t-the vines are also good.”
Sylvia had struggled with the vines around her before. If you cut them, they’re not a problem, but it’s certainly difficult to tear them off without a knife.
Cam fruits also attack, and I named a nut whose seeds pop off when touched a bursting walnut because of its shape.
“There are also many new species. If a botanist came here, they would cry for joy. Hihihi.”
“Hel, is knowledge important to elves?”
Chel asked Hel.
“Of course it is. Isn’t it the same for everyone?”
“Even if demons had knowledge, those who couldn’t use it were looked down upon.”
“What? Is that so? What about Makyo?”
“I have no education to begin with. I’ve never even seen a school. The only training I’ve had is the beginner’s course at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“What? Didn’t you get beaten up at the training facility on the frontier?”
Jennifer asked this time.
“No, I think I just spent the night in the nearby forest. After that, I went to the demonic land.”
“I-I-I guess that’s what happens when you specialize in survival…”
Sylvia looked at me intently.
“But isn’t it better to have knowledge? Hel knew about Midgard, right?”
“Ah, well, that’s true. But having too much knowledge can sometimes cloud your common sense. Isn’t that what you mean, Chel?”
“Hmm, is it? I don’t know. But if you believe too much in what you can see, you’re more likely to be affected by mental magic, so you should be careful…”
“I-i-Is that just your guess? My family probably has such a strong power.”
Sylvia said to Chel.
“Is that so?!”
“Y-y-yeah. I think it changes your physical abilities.”
“So everything has its pros and cons.”
Kyoeee!
An imp screamed in the distance.
When I hadn’t discovered the imps, I was afraid because I thought it was the cry of a monstrous bird, but now I can’t help but laugh as I imagine the imp’s old manly side.
“Jennifer, stop using mental magic on Sylvia!”
Hel and Chel stood on either side of Jennifer, holding her arms. Can Jennifer really use mental magic?
“No, I just wanted to see if it was real or not.”
“Sylvia, are you okay?”
Sylvia didn’t move and looked down.
“It’s annoying, so don’t fight. Jennifer, don’t use your magic on anyone in the demonic land from now on. Don’t make me tell you all the time. Are you okay, Sylvia?”
The moment I said that and approached her, Sylvia jumped at me.
“Ooh! You! You’re always looking at my breasts, so if you want to look at them, look! Look, look, look!”
Sylvia took off her clothes and pressed her breasts against my face. It was as if she had superhuman strength, and I couldn’t pull her away. If I don’t do something, I’ll suffocate.
“What do you think you’re doing, sleepyhead? When a woman goes into a man’s room, you do what you’re supposed to do! Ah! Are you so stupid that you snore all the time and never wake up?”
“Puhahh! Wait! What are you talking about? Stop it, guys! Don’t just look!”
Somehow, I turned my face to the side and yelled. We all managed to pull her down and tie her to a tree. During this time, for some reason, the torrent of abuse she was heaping on me didn’t stop.
In the end, it took Sylvia an hour to calm down. My mind was quite exhausted.
From now on, mental magic is forbidden in the demonic land.
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