Chapter 88: 76.1: Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru Chapte

「Good morning」

「Oh, good morning」

It was a cold morning. I did sleep, but woke up early. I put on the coat, and went out the tent, leaving Regure behind. Which was when I ran into Zamonglass, who was brushing his teeth.

He threw me a toothbrush, which I accepted. Upon catching it, I realized that, rather than a toothbrush, it was a wooden stick with its tip torn apart. It was the kind of stuff people used in the Edo period. In Lemuria, there were toothbrushes made with pig hair though.

I gargled my mouth using water from a bucket that had ice floating in it, and then brushed my teeth. It cleaned my teeth better than I had expected.

「For you to make that feisty woman cry out like that, you’re pretty good」

What happened last night was misunderstood by Zamonglass.

For the life of me, I couldn’t think of how anyone would take that as a moan of pleasure though.

「No, we have a mutual acquaintance, so all we did was talk about him」

「Regure’s acquaintance? Could it be the brat she gave the “Star’s Child[1]” to?」

「Are you perhaps talking about Shuna’s longsword?」

That was the only thing I could associate that name with.

「That's right. It looks like an ordinary longsword, but it’s a sword that holds great cultural value. You’re an adventurer, so you’ve heard of Vindoobunikuru’s “Three-Swords Ardi”, am I right? He was a knight who served the founding eight princes of Elysium. And that “Star’s Child” is one of his favored swords. It has existed in this world since the age of the gods, and is a sword that’s promised to be no less eternal as the Deep Emperor Bone. It doesn't rust, doesn't chip, and even if a dragon steps on it, it won’t――」

「It shattered into pieces though」

「WHAT!?」

Into tiny pieces at that.

「Impossible! It's a sword that even Rmir steel doesn’t leave a mark on, you know!?」

「It’s because Shuna used the blessing of a god called Gladvain that takes down dragons while destroying the user’s weapon at the same time. Oh, it was repaired though」

「Gladvain. Wait………repaired, you said?」

「I’m a foreigner, you see? Well, it was fixed up using the technology from the foreign lands」

By Makina, that is.

But to think that it’s such a priceless sword. I’m glad it was fixed. Is that strange power that it has after it got fixed related to Ardi, I wonder?

「You’re a foreigner, huh?」

That’s strange. He’s giving me a hostile look. It’s a look that’s equal parts pity and hatred.

「I just heard someone mention Gladvain-sama’s name」

His deep voice booming, His Majesty came out of a large tent along with his horse.

His Majesty is big, but his horse is also big. His horse looks like a horse that would be ridden by an apocalyptic overlord.

「Souya, explain」

「How should I put it, Gladvain-sama is a god in Lemuria. My party member Shuna is contracted with her」

In addition, the blood of that god is flowing inside my wife and sister.

「She's originally from this land. She was Velsvain’s favored child, and a dauntless god with bravery equal to the war gods of old. I had heard that she disappeared all of a sudden, but that god settled down on the right continent, I see」

She went there chasing after her two daughters. Because it involves her honor, I can’t speak of it though.

「There are many gods in Lemuria, but no god is as beautiful as she」

「I’ve always wanted to see her in person at least once」

「I’ll introduce you. If it’s Your Majesty, I believe she’ll welcome you gladly」

「Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind」

Zamonglass put forward a suggestion.

「Your Majesty, this person is apparently a foreigner. In that case……」

「The forest, huh? Certainly, there’s a chance he may be able to enter it, but it’s fraught with danger」

「I believe he has a better chance of entering it than any of us. At any rate, we don’t have a choice, given the enemy has pulled back the army」

「Hmm」

What are they talking about?

「Souya, I’m giving you an order」

「Yes, I’m at your service」

「As you’re aware, we’re short on supplies」

For last night's dinner, we had split the bread and cheese that I had looted among us.

「Perhaps it’s because Regure has been stealing their supplies, but that damned black elf has pulled the army back pretty far. As could be expected, even with Regure’s speed, it’ll likely be hard for her to continue doing so」

Asking those in the royal castle to spare us some supplies……I guess that’s impossible.

This person probably intends to fight without any help whatsoever from his daughter.

「There's a forest to the northwest of Ashtalia. It’s a forbidden forest that has shut people out for a long time. Due to a contract with the people of old, the people of this world cannot enter it. However, a foreigner may be able to」

「I understand. You want me to obtain food in the forest, right?」

I have some knowledge of wild plants.

If the land is different, the varieties will likely also be different, but I suppose I can check if they’re edible by actually eating them.

「Listen, it's a forest that has shut people out for thousands of years. I have no idea what’s inside. No one has returned from trying to sneak into it out of curiosity. If you sense danger, turn back immediately. Don’t forget your oath as my vassal」

「Yes, Your Majesty. Don’t worry, adventurers are creatures who are quick to run away」

「Hmm, that’s good」

I was handed a backpack stuffed full with burlap sacks and a knife by Zamonglass.

His Majesty gave his horse orders as he patted it.

「Verxina, protect this one. If you feel any danger, run away」

Hmm? That name……

「Umm, Your Majesty. What’s with the name of this horse?」

「It's the name of a beastkin woman that my grandfather let get away. He was infatuated with her until the day he died. In accordance to his dying wish, all mares ridden by the head of the family have this name」

That’s probably the mother of someone I know.

To a strange degree, I have many ties to this land.

「Well, I’m off then」

「Hmm, I’ll say it again, if you sense any danger, run away, got it?」

「Yes, I’ll be back」

When I was about to head for the forest, Verxina bit down on the collar of my coat.

「Eh」

It carried me like that.

「GYAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!」

The scenery flew by at a terrifying speed.

The cold wind stung my face. I could barely keep my eyes open.

My screams were drowned out by the howling wind.

It ran through the city, entered the dead plain, and arrived outside the forest in no time.

Tossed aside like litter, I landed on my face. My whole body was trembling from the chill of the wind and from being swung around like a rag-doll.

There are people that I want to meet yet can’t, but I get the feeling that this shaking is something else.[2]

「Y, you shitty horse」

Verxina raised one leg. That one hoof was bigger than my head.

「Thank you very much for carrying me here」

Verxina put its foot down.

That was dangerous. I had sensed a danger to my life. I was about to break my oath as a vassal all of a sudden.

Setting that aside, when I looked at the plain, I saw that the army had retreated. They hadn’t left any corpses behind. The broken metal remnants gave the dead plain a feeling of loneliness.

Next, I surveyed the forest.

The feeling I had that something was off when seeing it from afar turned into conviction.

This forest had different seasonal feel from its surroundings. It was lush green as deep as I could see. It was a primitive forest similar to rain-forests. It had flora that shouldn't be able to survive this cold climate.

Verxina nudged me in the back, as if to tell me to hurry up and go in.

It had nudged me using the tip of its nose, but it felt like I had been punched.

「Wait, wait, there are greetings to be made for things like this. A beast probably doesn’t understand though」

Verxina raised one leg.

This shitty horse, it subtly understands people’s words.

I would make no progress even if I humored the horse, so I ignored it.

Putting my palms together, I closed my eyes.

Then spun words like a prayer.

「My name is Souya. An adventurer from a foreign land. Borrowing the name of my wife’s god, Ezusu, I reverently and respectfully call out to the master of the forbidden forest. Please let me hear your voice. We beg for your permission. We cannot enter without permission. I beg you, please, let me hear your reply」

I tried greeting it appropriately, but I wonder if I was heard. I had asked for permission before entering. I should be able to use that as something of an excuse.

I’ll try waiting for a while.

Perhaps it was bored, but Verxina came over and nudged me again.

「Oh」

I said, as something completely unrelated came to me at that moment. It was just right, so I gave it a try.

I reached my hand out towards the gray sky……

「Agathion!」

……and called out.

And then, the magic sword whose name I called………………………………didn’t come after five minutes.

Yeah. As could be expected, I’m out of reception, aren’t I?

Well, I’ll give it some time.

Ten minutes passed.

Thirty minutes passed.

………………Nearly an hour passed,

Verxina had nothing to do, so it swung me around by the collar.

This shitty horse, I’ll make horse sashimi out of you one day.

And then……

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「Hmm?」

……I felt like I heard a voice.

「Shitty horse, did you hear something?」

Verxina ignored me and went into the forest.

「Hey」

Letting it go ahead by itself was bad, so I followed after the horse.

The forest I stepped into was a paradise of nature.

Trees that were too tall. A mysterious light that filtered through the leaves above. Lush moss-covered trees with big leaves and fruits that overflowed with vitality. I saw a large white mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The ground was covered with tightly packed roots. I stepped over a number of small streams. The air was warm enough to make me sweat. It felt like the plants were brimming with life.

It was similar to the illustrations by a game cover illustrator named Hiroo Isono[3].

The flora was vibrant, yet it was a place that was difficult for people to live in.

The voice sounded closer the deeper into the forest I ventured.

It was a beautifully clear voice that was desperately appealing for something.

Verxina galloped forward, so I followed it frantically.

I had thought of it as a violent horse, but it was running in a way that avoided damaging the greenery.

In the place we arrived at, there was a fawn.

Its body was wedged between the branches of a young tree that had grown in a Y shape, and it was unable to break free. Perhaps it had struggled too hard to escape, but blood was dripping from its belly.

Having arrived earlier, Verxina had put its nose to the deer’s and was communicating with it.

The horse shot me a look that said,『You, do something about this』.

The deer cried out and struggled as I approached it with the knife.

「There, there」

Casually and without showing any hostility, I quickly slashed at the tree. However, even though it was a thin young tree, I was unable to cut through it. It was too hard for the knife. The density of the wood wasn’t normal.

There was nothing for it but for Verxina and me to each grab one branch, and then pull downwards to open them up. We were eventually able to open up a gap big enough to free the deer.

It bounded away from us at lightning speed.

I thought it would simply flee, but it stopped right at the edge of my field of vision.

It started glancing back at me.

At times like this, I should wait-and-see without making any strange movements.

Verxina was grazing nonchalantly.

It's a wild animal, so I’ll avoid making too much eye contact. I’ll try not to startle it and wait patiently.

Well, I do feel like a deer’s well-being is kind of unimportant though.

Verxina shoved me.

The horse probably intended for it to be a light shove, but it felt like I had been kicked.

For some reason, the deer came back.

The horse brought its muzzle near my hand.

「Huh, what is it?」

It felt like the horse was telling me to put out my hand, so I held it out. It went『Nbe』and spat the grass that it had been chewing into my hand. I saw red for a second, but I realized that it was probably telling me to cover the deer’s wound with it.

The deer meekly let me do as I wished, and I applied the grass over the wound on its belly.

When I was done, the deer lowered its head several times, and then headed deeper into the forest. Verxina followed after it, so I also fell in step behind them.

Even deeper into the greenery we went.

I had been keeping track of our bearing, but I was starting to lose confidence that I could retrace my steps on the way back.

We came upon a wide flowing river. Brightly colored birds flitted through the air. I met eyes with a large snake that I felt like I had never seen before.

The canopy was far overhead. I wondered if the stars that I caught sight of between the branches and leaves was just my imagination.

It was clearly a different dimension from the world outside.

It felt like I was on another planet.

On the heels of the deer and the horse, I followed the river.

Further into the depths of this verdant labyrinth.

Along the way, I found several wild vegetables that looked edible. I made sure to remember their location.

After proceeding even deeper, I heard a voice going,『Kuku, kukukuku』. I thought it was a bird at first, but it turned out to be a brown frog. There were lots of them in the river. Moreover, they were huge. Each one was about the size of a person’s head. But they were slow on top of showing a lack of wariness. They would hop out of the river and block our path without a care. They were a bother.

As I proceed further while stepping over the frogs, I found an unexpected person waiting.

The forest had opened up into an unnaturally wide clearing, and in it stood an old female elf.

Elves are a race of eternal youth and longevity. However, the truth behind their eternal youth is that their bodies grow weak and they die before they can grow old. Individuals who live long enough to look old are quite rare. Even by a rough estimation, it would mean that this person has been alive for thousands of years.

No, more importantly, why is there a person here?

The deer snuggled up to the old elf.

「In the last millennium, you’re the eleventh person to be invited into the forest. Foreigner, what has brought you into this forbidden forest?」

「Umm, please spare me some edible wild vegetables」

「………………Hmm?」

The old elf looked troubled.

「If possible, some fruits and mushrooms too」

「Please wait. Riches and mythical treasures that are beyond human knowledge lay inside this forest. Didn’t you come here seeking them?」

There are such things here, huh? But I don’t need them. Too much power only invites ruin. Just the power I have now is already a pain to deal with. As if I’d take on even more.

「No, I just want you to spare me some food」

「No way, are you asking me to exhaust the forest of food?」

「Enough for four people and this big horse is plenty」

The old elf had a face that said,『What is this guy saying?』.

Oops. I forgot my manners.

「Oh, of course, I’ll work for it. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Please spare me some food in return」

「………Please wait a moment」

The old elf brought the deer with her and went a distance away from me.

Huh, what’s going on here, I wonder? Does he intend to trick us later? He’s asking for wild vegetables, but………that has to be a lie.

Was what I heard.

For some reason, the horse also joined in the discussion. I was the only one left out.

Uh-huh, said the old elf while nodding.

Looking at the elf’s profile, I think she must have been quite beautiful when she was younger. She still looks beautiful now though.

The discussion between the elf and the animals ended.

「You’re really fine with just food?」

「Oh, yes」

「What a lack of greed…… On your way here, you came across the frogs, right? I’m troubled because they‘ve multiplied too much. There are snakes that eat them as their staple food, but they’ve grown too large for the snakes to eat. Since they’re poisonous, they’re also harmful to the other creatures. Please exterminate them. When you’ve succeeded in getting rid of them, I’ll give you things that people can eat」

「Understood, if you’re alright with something like that. Umm, is it okay to eat the frogs?」

「Didn't you hear what I said? They’re poisonous. You’ll die, you know?」

「It’s hard to say for sure until I give it a try」

「What a strange person. You’re free to do as you like」

「Well then」

There was nothing but to exterminate the frogs as promised.

I went to their habitat and caught one of the frogs.

I needed to make sure what type of poison they had. It was a good thing I had gained knowledge about this kind of thing from Izora.

With the little finger of my left hand, I touched the frog's skin. If worst came to worst, I was prepared to cut it off.

There was no irritation or itchiness. No numbness either.

It appeared that its skin wasn’t poisonous.

Then, I held the frog with both hands and checked various things.

It was really meek and let me touch it as I pleased. But there was also a risk it would spit poison at me, so I touched it from behind as much as possible.

It had warts all over its body, and the warts at the corners of its eyes were especially big. When I pressed those, a white liquid came out.

That’s probably the poison.

The size is completely different, but are these guys toads, I wonder?

My deceased grandfather had said that he had eaten them before, but is it edible, I wonder?

「Alright」

I took out the burlap sacks from the backpack.

Holding the frog by its two rear legs, I swung it with all my might, dashing its head against a nearby rock.

I made a few cuts using the knife and peeled its skin off. I needed to use quite a bit of strength, but it peeled off more neatly than I had expected. I cut off its edible-looking limbs and put them into one of the burlap sacks.

What should I do with this torso that has a still-beating heart? Should I bury it?

The deer came to my side and used its nose to point to some rocks a distance away.

A parent and child pair of snakes were peeking at me.

After cutting the torso into pieces about the size of their mouths, I placed it on the ground for them. I could probably dispose of the skin in this way too.

Well, it’s all about endurance and physical strength from now on.

[1] 星の子(Hoshi no Ko) is the name of Shuna’s longsword. It can be “Star’s Child” or “Child of the Stars”, but I’ve chosen to call it what it is for a reason I won’t discuss. It’s quite an appropriate name though, considering that the sword was made from meteoric iron.

[2] This line may be a little confusing, so I’m explaining it just in case. The first part, he’s saying he thought he was going to die, hence the thing about people he wants to meet yet can’t(since they’re dead). The second part, he’s saying he has the feeling he is shaking not from almost dying, but from anger.

[3] Hiroo Isono not only drew package art, but also in game illustrations for Secret of Mana, a 1993 game that was re-released in 2018.

Isn’t the art style beautiful? Also, after you’ve read a bit more, come back and look at this illustration of a person with a horse meeting a deer in a lush forest again. What a coincidence, huh?

I didn’t say anything the first time her name came up, but Verxina is the name of an actual racehorse currently owned by Kazuhiro Sasaki, the baseball player. She retired from racing in 2014 and now lives as a breeding mare in Hokkaido. I sincerely doubt it’s a coincidence that a character who a horse is named after just happens to have a racehorse’s name. But still, for the MC of the story to not just be weaker, but be unable to raise his head to a horse…… I burst out laughing when Souya got triggered for a second when it spat in his hand.

As promised, frogs. It’s been a while since food has come up, hasn’t it? It’s been all fast-paced plot for the last few arcs, so yup, the pace has slowed a bit. But don’t let your guard down, as before this half-volume ends, several major plot events are going to drop. Well, next is the second half of this chapter as well as the end of this arc. What is the deal with this forbidden forest? Stay tuned to find out!

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