第８９４堀：静かな森を抜けて (Part1)
Chapter 894: Passing Through the Quiet Forest
Side: Curse
"Honestly, Riel, you never listen to a word anyone says..."
"Uuu... I'm sorry."
"……Riel. Try to stay a little more composed."
Watching Tori and the others go back and forth like that... it’s a scene that feels strangely familiar.
"My, that looks just like the old days when Mauve would go on a rampage."
"Ah, you're right."
At Raiya’s remark, I realized just how much they resembled us.
"Hey now. I wasn't *that* bad, was I?"
"No, you were actually worse."
"Indeed. Just when I thought you’d run off, you’d already caused a problem before we could even stop you."
"Was it really that bad?"
"It was."
"Yes, it was."
"……"
Lately, Mauve has learned to show some restraint, but back in the day, he was a total bull in a china shop. I suppose Riel is at least better off since she stops when you call out to her.
"Well, putting that aside, it’s true—there isn't a single sign of a monster, or even any living creature, for that matter."
Mauve blatantly changed the subject, but I decided to play along rather than press the issue.
"Yeah. It’s even emptier than the forest before we crossed the river."
"Agreed. In the previous forest, we could at least sense small animals, but here, there’s absolutely nothing."
That’s right. Ever since we entered this forest at the foot of Dragon Mountain, we haven’t felt a single sign of life. At this point, it’s undeniably abnormal. Usually, we’d lower our voices and prepare for a monster ambush, but here, the vegetation is thick and lush, yet there isn't even a game trail. It’s a truly bizarre forest devoid of any living presence.
"I thought so. Hey, you Beastman girls, you’d know better than us, right? Tori, you girls got a moment?"
As soon as Mauve called out, Tori and her group stopped their bickering and turned around.
"Did something happen?"
"Did you find something?"
"……What is it?"
"Well, since entering this forest, we haven't felt a single sign of life. How about you girls? You Beastmen are more sensitive to that sort of thing, aren't you?"
When Mauve asked, the three of them exchanged glances, tilting their heads and twitching their animal ears, but...
"Hmm. I don't feel anything at all."
"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I don't sense any living things either."
"……It’s strange. Or rather, unnatural? Come to think of it, Comet, are there any monsters on your end?"
It seems Tori and the others couldn't sense anything either. They tried contacting Comet, but...
『Nope, I’m not detecting any monster signatures here either. In fact, I haven't even seen any small animals. Zargis, in all the time you've been walking through the field, have you seen any traces of animals?』
"No, as far as I can see, there are insects, but when it comes to animals, I haven't seen a single trace."
It was unexpected, but the consensus was unanimous: this is a forest where no signs of life or monsters can be felt.
"Isn't that strange? Aren't there supposed to be powerful monsters here?"
"Calm down, Mauve. Even if they aren't in the forest, they might be on the mountain itself."
"Still, we shouldn't let our guard down. There’s a possibility that monsters we can't detect are lurking about."
"That’s true. For now, let’s keep moving without letting our guard down."
"Yeah!"
"……Well, we don't have much choice. Are you two okay, Lowel and Charl?"
"Indeed. It’s a shame we haven't encountered any monsters, but we have no choice but to keep moving."
"Yes, I can still walk plenty."
With no reason to turn back, we continued through the forest. By the time the sun was directly overhead, we had arrived at the "trailhead" of Dragon Mountain.
"Well, this is just a mountain slope covered in trees, too."
"We have to climb this? Even more of a pain."
As Mauve and Raiya said, as far as the eye could see, the mountain slope was densely packed with trees. There didn't seem to be an easy path, so we had no choice but to climb. Calling it a "trailhead" was generous; a mountain without any living creatures looked just as troublesome to climb as the forest—if not more so.
"Wait, how are we even supposed to climb this?"
"There isn't a path at all. Ugh, this is going to be tough."
"……This is awful."
"It was the right call to come in a small group. There’s no way to move an army through a route like this."
"Indeed. If we had brought an army, we’d have to start by clearing a path. Still, as Riel says, climbing this looks like a nightmare..."
Tori, the princesses, and the others seemed to share the same sentiment, clearly troubled by the prospect of the path ahead.
"Well, for now, let’s ask headquarters how we should climb this. Can you hear me, Comet?"
While we stood there stunned, looking at the mountain before us, Zargis contacted Comet.
『Ah, I hear you. But, honestly... I don't see any routes suitable for people to climb.』
The answer was exactly what I expected, given the journey so far.
"Ugh. In that case, wouldn't it be better to just jump or use magic to fly up?"
『Riel, please don't do that. My surveillance drones and familiars have confirmed the presence of monsters halfway up the mountain. The real challenge starts from the mid-slope.』
"Oh? So there are monsters if we go past this point?"
"Do you know what kind of monsters they are?"
『I'm sending the data now.』
As Comet said that, she sent images to our screens. We took a look, and...
"……A burning golem? A giant plant? A massive four-legged lizard? I've never seen any of these."
As Kaya said, the images showed monsters we had never encountered before. This was going to be quite troublesome. Regardless of their strength, these undiscovered monsters often possessed strange, unique abilities, so I wanted to avoid combat if possible.
"Ho. These look strong. Alright, let’s defeat them as we go."
However, the princess seemed intent on fighting her way up. Her ferocity made me wonder if she was truly a princess... or perhaps that’s just what’s expected of a general?
"Honestly, Sister. Please avoid combat as much as possible. Our goal this time is not monster hunting, but negotiations with the Dragonkin at the summit of Dragon Mountain."
『Princess Lowel, as Princess Charl says, please save that for later. You can do whatever you want after the meeting with the Dragonkin is over.』
Naturally, her sister and Comet stopped her. And rightly so; as Princess Charl said, our top priority is making contact with the Dragonkin or reconciling with the dragons. But, as expected of Princess Lowel:
"I see. So I can do whatever I want once the business is finished?"
"You most certainly cannot! Comet-san, please don't say such careless things."